


Easy

by kimseungmine



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Hogwarts, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Wizarding World (Harry Potter), minsung - Freeform, seungjin - Freeform, stray kids - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 53,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24676399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimseungmine/pseuds/kimseungmine
Summary: Born with model looks, Hwang Hyunjin always had things easy. As the Quidditch team’s Seeker, he was his house’s golden boy. People fell at his feet just so he could spare them a glance. But when he meets model student Kim Seungmin, he finds out how wrong he had been all this time. Capturing this boy’s golden heart wasn’t going to be as easy as capturing the golden snitch.[A SeungJin fic set in the wizarding world!]
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin & Kim Seungmin, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin
Comments: 204
Kudos: 347





	1. Prologue: Welcome to Yellow Wood!

Nami Island is a well-known tourist destination. It’s flocked by thousands of people from all over the world every single day. It’s a must-see when one visits Seoul, Korea. 

Little is known of General Nami, the island’s namesake. His supposed tomb lies in Nami Island with an epitaph for a young and talented general who led a short life and met a tragic end. He was wrongfully charged with high treason and executed for it. That was the end of his story. 

At least that’s what most people know.

In fact, he didn’t die as the history books say. 

What people don’t know is that General Nami was a wizard. And a talented one at that. 

At 28, he realized that he no longer wanted to use his magic for war; and he did not want young wizards like him to be left with no choice but to do the same. He wanted them to have choices. They could be warriors if they wanted to. They could be scholars if they wished. They could even pioneer something new if they so desired. 

With this in mind, he left his life in the battlefield and decided that he would give a home to those like him; a school where wizards could learn to lead the life they wanted for themselves. He lived up to a hundred and taught until he died. 

This school would stand and is still standing in the same island sought by tourists now. 

Nami Island is much bigger than the brochures say; only a very small portion is accessible and visible to the public. Hidden in this island is a school for gifted boys; wizards just like General Nami. 

Welcome to the Yellow Wood Academy of Magic.

Yellow Wood is much smaller than its counterparts in the West (Hogwarts in Great Britain, Ilvermorny in America, Durmstrang in northern Europe, Beauxbatons in the Pyrenees, to name a few). It has half the student body of Mahoutokoro in Japan, which is considered to be the smallest of the top wizarding schools. Yellow Wood is one of 2 wizarding schools in Korea; the other one, a school for girls, is located in Jeju Island. 

Yellow Wood has three houses:

\- Byeol (별) - _Stars_ \- Those from the the house of stars are known to have the best and brightest minds. They are scholars, gifted with wisdom and intelligence. Their strength comes from their ability to approach any obstacle with clarity. Star students wear lapis lazuli pendants. 

\- Bam (밤) - _Night_ \- Those from the house of the night do not fear going into the darkness of the night. They are warriors at heart, showing courage and bravery through any battle. They are tenacious and relentless, eyes always focused on victory. Night students wear jasper pendants. 

\- Baram (바람) - _Wind_ \- Those from the house of the wind bring in the winds of change. Students come from families who have pioneered something in the wizarding world in Korea and beyond. They are trusted to bring magical innovation with the ever-changing times. They accept that with change comes difficulties, and willingly take on its costs for the greater good. Wind students wear malachite pendants. General Nami saw himself in this house. 

Legends say that General Nami thought of creating this school as he was studying on a windy autumn night, thus the creation of the three houses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First Stray Kids fic set in the Wizarding World! Please look forward to the coming chapters.
> 
> I'm just setting up the environment for this story for this Prologue. I really wanted to create a Stray Kids Hogwarts fic, but some things just didn’t fit when I tried to imagine it so I figured why not start from scratch and have a wizarding school in Korea? 
> 
> Byeol/House of Stars is based off of Ravenclaw, Bam/House of Night off of Slytherin, and Baram/House of Wind off of Gryffindor (although I switched some colors!). 
> 
> I plan on using this setting in other stories so you might see this Prologue again!


	2. A Prefect's First Day

Kim Seungmin had always been a morning person, but he woke up even earlier than usual on this sunny Monday morning. He still felt quite energetic for the new semester. They were all fresh off their 2 month summer vacations after all. The students had just arrived at the island last weekend for the new school year. 

He donned the school’s spring uniform, a white button-down, followed by a navy blue blazer with the Yellow Wood crest. He fixed a small badge engraved with a ‘P’ on his left breast pocket, pleased at how it looked. He wore the silver necklace with a lapis lazuli pendant around his neck as the final piece to complete the ensemble; it was the testament to being a student of the Stars. 

Today was Seungmin’s first day as a sixth year. Today was also his first day as a Star Prefect. 

Finishing up his morning routine by fixing his hair, he looked at the bed next to his own. His best friend Han Jisung was still fast asleep. In comparison to the meticulous and mild-mannered Seungmin, Jisung was well-known for his loud and sometimes lazy personality. It was hard to believe that he too would become a Star Prefect. 

But Jisung had his own strengths. He was the star player of their Quidditch team and well on his way to being the captain next year. 

Seungmin threw a pillow at the sleeping form to rouse it awake. Jisung groaned. 

“Wake up. It’s not good to be late on our first day.”

\--------

To Jisung’s defense, he always woke up late but he always made it in time, albeit a little winded and flustered from rushing. Same as today, he and Seungmin made it right on schedule for the first meeting with this year’s Head Boys and Prefects.

With excitement and nervousness, Seungmin pushed the door open. As they entered the room, 5 familiar faces looked back at them. They all wore the same uniforms, but the presence of the 3 Head Boys was undeniable. 

This year, Seo Changbin was appointed as the Head Boy for the house of Stars. Seungmin and Jisung were pleased; they were quite close to the seventh year. He had doted on them ever since they were first years. He was well-loved by the younger students in their house. 

Chris Bang was appointed as the Head Boy for the house of Wind. He was an obvious choice with his strong leadership skills. He often led talks and speeches for the whole school. You could recognize him from his voice alone. Not only that, you couldn’t help but listen to him too. 

Lastly, Lee Minho was appointed as the Head Boy for the house of Night. He was popular among the students for his warm and friendly personality. Both the students and their professors were taken by his charm. 

Seungmin and Jisung glanced at the other faces. 

Accompanying Minho was Yang Jeongin, another popular student. Many people admired him for his kind face and a kind personality that matched. He came from a family of animagi. With his fox-like features, it wasn’t hard to guess what animal he could turn into at will.

With Chris was Felix Lee; they were both Koreans who grew up in Australia. They were both from well-known wizarding families too. Felix was a metamorphmagus. They often saw him with a different hair color every morning at breakfast. Sometimes, he even changed his eye color to his liking. Chris had long groomed him to be his protege. The two were nearly inseparable. 

It was a flurry of different personalities. This was going to be interesting.

After giving everyone their greetings, Seungmin and Jisung made their way to the seats next to Changbin. As they were doing so, the door opened to reveal another face.

Hwang Hyunjin.

“What is he doing here?” Jisung remarked. He thought that only Changbin and Seungmin would hear, but everyone in the room clearly caught what he said. 

Hyunjin shot Jisung a glare from across the room. 

“Hyunjin, sit down.” Minho called out. Hyunjin relented.

Jisung rolled his eyes and focused on the Head Boys in front.

Hyunjin and Jisung’s rivalry was spurred in a match of Quidditch in their first year at Yellow Wood. It wasn’t even an official game in front of the whole school, it was just a practice game for Quidditch class. Seungmin couldn’t exactly recount all of the details, but he just remembered running across the field to an injured Jisung while a likewise injured Hyunjin cursed beside him. They both got an earfull from their professor, their house heads, and their head boys afterwards. They were stuck for weeks in the infirmary. 

After that, Hyunjin and Jisung never amicably treated one another; there was only animosity between the two.

The fact that the two became Seekers on their Quidditch teams the year after just fuelled the flame. 

It was an endless cycle of one-upping one another. Seungmin never gave much thought to it because he simply didn’t have the same passion for Quidditch the way Jisung did. He barely even watched any games, preferring to spend his afternoon reading in his room instead. He didn’t like to get involved in their squabbles either. To be honest, he saw it as a childish feud that would come to pass eventually. He never told Jisung that because if he did, he would never hear the end of it. 

To everyone’s relief, the two never actually got into a real fight. They settled for snarky remarks and side-eye glances in classes and hallways. One thing’s for sure, there was no way you would find Hyunjin and Jisung in the same room by choice. Being two seats apart from one another like this was the closest they’ve ever gotten.

\--------

Once everyone settled down, Chris, Minho, and Changbin led the discussion and went over their plans for the school year. They announced that from this week onwards, the 8 of them would have weekly meetings. These meetings will serve as a forum to listen to the concerns from their own houses and as a knowledge-sharing session to learn each house’s best practices. Being late or absent to these meetings was absolutely not allowed if there was no valid reason. 

Seungmin glanced at Jisung when this was mentioned; Jisung scowled at him in response.

In addition to that, the Head Boys emphasized that they would be treating this as a team. Decisions were to be made in round-table discussions, taking into account the opinions of all the Head Boys and Prefects; they were not going to be constrained to their own houses. In case a Prefect has to be subjected to a disciplinary measure, the Head Boys would discuss the matter collectively. Basically, everything was going to be discussed altogether. The Head Boys wanted to send the message that they may be in different houses, but they were in one and the same school. To push this further, they planned to have monthly team-building activities. Their goal was to foster a unified environment among the houses and the student body, and to do this, they had to start within the group. 

“Any questions?” Chris asked, scanning the room.

Silence hung in the air for a while until Hyunjin raised his hand.

“I have one,” 

Chris beckoned for him to proceed.

“What exactly are the qualifications of being a Prefect?”

To everyone else in the room, the question sounded innocent enough, but both Seungmin and Jisung knew that it was a jab at the latter. Jisung wasn’t exactly the typical choice for a Star Prefect. Sure, he was a decent Quidditch player, but he wasn’t doing as well in the classroom as he was in the field. Despite being in the house with the brightest minds, he was just barely passing each semester. He liked writing, but his notes from class never seemed to be organized. He often goes to the library to read, but his mind wanders before he can even get a chapter in. Everyone knew this. It’s not that he didn’t try. He did. So much. It’s just that he got distracted a lot.

While Seungmin seemed like a model student from the house of Stars, Jisung often felt like the Sorting Hat made a mistake. Even Jisung was surprised when Changbin told him that he was going to be a Prefect. Meanwhile, the role fit Seungmin like a glove. Jisung never took it against Seungmin, but he did wish that he could shine as brightly as he did. Although he was proud of his best friend, he sometimes felt that his light grew even dimmer next to him. 

Seungmin caught sight of Jisung in his periphery. He had his hands clenched in fists on his thighs. He could tell that his best friend was holding himself back from retaliating at Hyunjin. If he did, he’d come off as the defensive one. This was one of his biggest insecurities after all. 

Sometimes he didn’t understand why. He saw Jisung as a genius in his own way. He could cram a whole semester’s worth of material into his head in one night; Seungmin would never. He crafted strategy during Quidditch games like his mind was made for it; Seungmin could never. 

Between him and his best friend, Seungmin seemed like the more studious one of the two, but he was just really afraid that if he eased up even for a second, he wouldn’t be able to catch up. Unlike Jisung, he was muggle-born; both of his parents were lawyers. When he received the letter from Yellow Wood, he was seized by excitement just as much as he was gripped by anxiety. He was pleased when he found out that he was a wizard, but he was also scared. This meant re-learning much of what he already knew and learning a lot about what he didn’t know at all. Magical knowledge didn’t come naturally to him. He had to work hard for it with a lot of advanced reading during breaks, long hours in the library, and some sleepless nights.

“The only standard to being a Prefect is excellence," Changbin said, addressing Hyunjin. "But as you know, there’s no single definition to excellence either.” 

Changbin met Hyunjin’s eyes with a striking gaze. 

Everyone’s first impression of Changbin was the same; he was intimidating. Once you got to know him, you would find that behind the cold eyes and sharp exterior was someone warm and soft-spoken. Seungmin often runs to him when he feels troubled. 

Hyunjin didn’t know any of this. When Changbin chose to use his rough voice as he did now, he came off as almost scary. 

“You were all chosen here by our recommendations, based on your own unique merits. Why? Do you doubt your Head Boy’s choice?” 

Changbin knew well enough about Hyunjin and Jisung’s history. He wasn’t going to let this boy from another house insult his Prefect right in front of him. 

“Just curious.” Hyunjin answered, yielding to the older boy. He wasn’t planning on getting on the bad side of any of the Head Boys on the first day.

“Alright, if there are no more questions. I think we’re good for the day," Chris declared. 

The Prefects stood up, preparing to leave. 

“I hope you’re all ready. We have quite a lot of things to accomplish this semester and this school year. Don’t worry, I swear we’ll make it fun and interesting for everyone,” Minho said as a parting remark.

Everyone left the room with high hopes and high expectations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this first chapter! This is a slow burn so please be patient for the SeungJin haha!
> 
> I would love to hear your comments <3
> 
> Also, [this](http://www.ivyclub.co.kr/page/images/lookbook/lookbook_03/section05_bg.jpg) is how I imagine their spring uniforms!


	3. The Prince from Nowhere

When Seungmin and Jisung left the room, Jisung was still recovering from sharing the same air as his sworn enemy. 

“I can’t believe we have to see that toad’s face every week," Jisung grumbled. "And I have to be in the same ‘team’ as him too!”

Here he goes again, Seungmin thought. He was preparing himself for another tirade about Hwang Hyunjin courtesy of Han Jisung. He was going to go on a full-on rant on the whole way to class.

“If you can’t stand working with him, you know what to do,” Seungmin teased.

Jisung punched him on his shoulder, playful but hard enough to make a point. There was no way he was giving up the position of Prefect that easily, especially not because of Hwang Hyunjin. 

“Hyunjin’s just a conceited brat. He’s really lucky that he was born with good looks.”

Seungmin chuckled, barely acknowledging the droning Jisung beside him. He’ll shut up when the next big thing comes his way. Seungmin never gave Jisung the satisfaction of agreeing whenever he was riled up. Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to Hyunjin. Seungmin never really had the chance to get to know Hyunjin himself. What he knew of him was what everyone knew of him: he was the Prince. 

Hwang Hyunjin was considered a god in their school. He had a prince-like face and perfect proportions. He had long legs and was taller than most guys. With a culture that paid much attention to features and physique, he hit all the right marks. As they say in Korea, your face is your business card. If that was the case, Hyunjin’s lit up in gold. He didn’t even have to work too hard for it. He was born with it. And his fellow students bought into it without any hesitation. He didn’t even need magic to do it. Most people moved mountains just to be his friend. Do his homework, carry his books, craft his potions, water his plants in the garden, feed his owl, clean his broom---anything. You were lucky if Hwang Hyunjin chose to even look at you. He could charm and intimidate everyone in Yellow Wood with a single glance. 

Well, everyone except Han Jisung.

Jisung just wasn’t convinced. He never will be. He believed in effort more than anything else. That’s why he cherished people like Seungmin and despised people like Hyunjin. He hated the likes of him; those who think they can have it easy. 

“If it weren’t for that face of his, he’d be good for nothing.”

“Hey, that’s a bit too much,” Seungmin was about to say.

Before he could even get the words out, Hyunjin came charging out of nowhere. 

What Jisung didn’t know was, at that moment, Hyunjin was right within earshot. He heard every single word.

“Is that so?” 

Hyunjin’s fist collided fiercely with Jisung’s face. It took everyone in the hallway by surprise. Seungmin stood there, shocked at what had just transpired. He didn’t know what to do. The other students around them felt just as frozen.

Nobody woke up today thinking they would see the Prince in a sparring match.

Jisung recovered quickly from being punched in the face. He didn’t hesitate at all to retaliate with his own fist. This prompted Seungmin to move. He held back Jisung with both of his arms. Jisung was stronger though, his years of practicing Quidditch manifesting itself. He easily tore himself off from Seungmin’s clutches. He charged at Hyunjin, pushing him forcefully with both of his arms. He struck a jab right back at him. Hyunjin was a Quidditch player too so he didn’t recoil easily from the impact.

“I’m going to turn you into a toad!”

Thankfully, the Head Boys were still close by. They overheard the commotion and immediately ran towards it. Changbin took control of the crowd beginning to form in the corridor, preventing students from swarming even more. Minho forced himself between the two Prefects, separating them. He stood in front of Hyunjin to keep him from moving. Seungmin took this as an opportunity to hold Jisung back once more. This time, he didn’t struggle as hard. Chris walked into the middle of the two groups. He stood there as if keeping a growl from breaking out of his chest. 

“Minho, take Hyunjin away. Changbin, take Jisung away,” Chris directed. His voice was soft enough that only they would hear, but stern enough to establish who was in charge. 

“We’re not done here!”

“Be quiet! Weren’t we just talking about this?” Changbin said, effectively silencing his subordinate. 

Hyunjin was about to say something back, but Minho shot him a look as if to tell him to not tempt his fate. Changbin and Minho took their Prefects in opposite directions, both pulling them by their collars.

“Everyone else, clear out. There’s nothing to see here,” Chris announced. His voice was polite, but it was imperative enough. The other students heeded his command. It wasn’t a good idea for professors to get wind of something like this on the first day of classes, more so when it involved a couple of newly-minted Prefects.

“Seungmin, come with me,” Chris said, his tone less domineering than when he addressed the other two.

For as long as Seungmin could remember, Chris had always been someone he looked up to. He was a born-leader; leading the pack came naturally to him. In his early years in Yellow Wood, Seungmin recounted how rumors circulated of Chris having werewolf blood running through his veins. He was incredibly fair. He had midnight black eyes. He had a strong build. And he always seemed to be awake at night. If he did have the blood of a wolf, he only got the good things out of it.

Seungmin followed Chris to an empty classroom. The older boy asked about what happened. Seungmin narrated the events as objectively as he could. Chris seemed to take a second to process what had just transpired. 

He faced Seungmin.

“So who do you think was at fault here?”

Seungmin was taken aback by the question. It was difficult to play judge in this situation. But right now, Chris wasn’t expecting him to answer like an ordinary student. He trusted Seungmin and he wanted him to respond like a Prefect. 

“You’re the only one I see who can treat this fairly. I know you and Jisung are close, so don’t worry, I won’t tell either of them about what you said. We’ll focus on the facts only.”

Seungmin understood.

“To be honest, I think both of them were equally at fault. The words came from Jisung, but the first punch was thrown by Hyunjin.” 

It was clear to Seungmin that what Jisung said was wrong, but how Hyunjin responded could’ve been better too. Physical violence was never the appropriate answer for anything. Two wrongs can never make a right.

Chris sighed, “You do understand that I will have to take points from both of your houses?” 

“I know.”

“Alright then. I’ll talk about this with the other Head Boys.”

Seungmin nodded.

“Thank you, Seungmin. I knew I could count on you.”

After bidding goodbye to Chris, Seungmin went straight to his classes. The situation weighed heavily at the back of his mind for a while. Fortunately, the first-day lectures were a welcome distraction and called for his full attention. 

He didn’t see either Jisung or Hyunjin, or even the Head Boys throughout the rest of the day.  
\--------

After class, Seungmin went straight to the library to do some reading on the next day’s subjects. He spent a couple of hours there and packed up at around 7 PM. He still hadn’t heard from Jisung and he was starting to worry. 

As Seungmin walked back into their dorm, he immediately caught sight of Jisung sprawled on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Thankfully, he seemed to be doing alright. Physically, anyway. The fight this morning didn’t leave any noticeable marks, save for a constipated look on his face.

“How are you?” Seungmin asked, a little frantic.

“This is the worst.”

“What happened?” 

A lot of possibilities ran through Seungmin’s mind. He suddenly felt nervous. He thought of what he said to Chris. 

_They’re both equally at fault_

He couldn’t really imagine the repercussions of those words at that time. 

What if his best friend’s Prefect badge had gotten revoked because of him?

Jisung whined.

“I have to spend the whole month cleaning Night’s archives, and I have to do it without magic!”

Seungmin breathed a sigh of relief. It could’ve been worse.

“How am I supposed to do that? I don’t even clean my own room!”

That was true, he barely cleaned his space in the dorm.

“Will you be doing this with Hyunjin?” Seungmin asked.

Jisung sat up, “Thank goodness, no. I would rather do it alone than do it with him. I’m not sure what Changbin has in mind for him.”

“Changbin?”

“Apparently, the Head Boys are pretty damn serious with this teamwork crap. Minho’s in charge of me for the next month. Hyunjin will be under Changbin.” 

Seungmin was impressed at this year’s Head Boys. They were really setting off to do what they said they would. 

“You should consider yourself lucky. At least you’re not cleaning up their comfort rooms.”

Jisung cringed at the thought. 

"Haven't you heard of _their_ archives? They say it's full of cursed weapons with the blood of traitors."

Seungmin couldn’t see what was so bad about the house archives. He quite liked theirs. He often went there to read when he found the library commons to be too crowded, which was usually the case. There was something comforting about studying alone amidst old scrolls and books, and enchanted antiques. 

“You'll survive. Just don’t get in trouble like that again.”

“It was Hyunjin’s fault!”

“Stop. It.” Seungmin scolded, scowling at him. “Just be glad you still have your Prefect badge with you.”

Jisung didn’t argue. He knew Seungmin was right.

“Whatever. Let’s just go down for dinner. I'm hungry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chan the wolf!


	4. The Ghost of the Archives

Today was the first day of Jisung’s punishment. 

He caught himself. What word did Chris use again?

Ah

Volunteer work.

Today was the first day of Jisung’s _volunteer work._

Classes were done and he’d been dreading the end of it since the start of the day; that was very unlike him. Usually he’d go straight to the dorms to sleep or straight to the field to practice on his broom, but that wouldn’t be the case for a while. After Transfiguration, he reluctantly parted with Seungmin and languidly dragged himself up the staircase leading to the Night archives. 

He trembled as he reached the landing. This area of the school felt autocratic to him. The walls of the house of Night were dark blood red. The hallways were lined with paintings of warriors and soldiers. Every now and then, he would hear a grunt or a shout from one of the paintings. Some of them would even call out to him. Next to them were empty suits of armor that stood as if they were ready to move at any moment. He wouldn’t be surprised if one of them just suddenly started chasing him down the hallway now. It didn’t help that they held scary-looking swords and spears too. Surrounded by the warriors’ cries and the weapons, it felt like he was smack right in the middle of a battlefield. 

His heart grew weak. This hallway seemed endless. He longed to be back at home in the house of Stars. Their paintings were of scholars, most of whom were gentle and mild. Some of them just had the tendency to talk a lot. After this, he swore never to call any of them boring again and to thank every last one.

The head boy Minho told him that they would be meeting by the entrance of the archives. He caught sight of the entrance, but dread swept over him because Minho was nowhere to be seen. Jisung seemed to have arrived early. It was eerie to be by himself in this hallway. He wondered how long he would have to suffer through all of this alone.

Was the older boy playing a joke on him?

Jisung didn’t really know what to expect of Minho yet. He certainly didn’t look as intimidating as Changbin or Chris. He seemed warm even. 

But he did punch the guy’s best friend, maybe he wanted to get back at him for that.

He turned back as he heard footsteps approaching him. Did one of the statues finally reanimate?

Minho was finally here.

“Did you wait long? Sorry, class ran a bit late.”

Jisung was surprised. He seemed genuinely apologetic.

“No, it’s okay. I just got here,” he replied, relieved that he finally had company. “The walk down the hallway though---That was something.”

Minho glanced at the corridor behind him and chuckled. They called it Blood Hall for a reason.

“You get used to it.”

Jisung didn’t feel like he was ever going to get used to it. Minho gestured for them to enter the archives. Jisung followed suit. He pushed the ornate double doors open for the two of them.

“Let’s go.”

Jisung had been to their house’s archives a couple of times because of Seungmin. Being inside the Night archives now, he couldn’t help but compare. The contrast was uncanny. Next to each other, the two archives were like two completely different people with starkly polarizing personalities. While the archives of the house of Stars welcomed one with a sense of serenity and placidity, the house of Night’s archives gave one a foreboding feeling; like entering the den of a beast. Jisung was finding out that this was a common feat with the house of Night. He and Seungmin weren’t really acquainted with anyone from the house so he was encountering all of this for the first time. 

He gulped. Minho noticed.

Jisung thanked the Sorting Hat for putting him in the house of Stars.

“It’s better than it looks, I swear.”

The two walked towards the desks at the very center of the room. That was how the room was arranged. The towering shelves surrounded the reading area as if interrogating and intimidating those who sat there. 

“You can put your things here,” Minho said, placing his own school bag on top of the table.

“I think we could start with scoping out everything for now, just to get a rough catalogue of where everything is.”

Jisung looked at him, “Wait, you’re going to help me?”

“Of course, I will. This is a lot of work for one person. You’d die of fatigue if I didn’t,” Minho said, matter-of-factly. 

“But remember, you can’t use any magic.”

“Right.”

Jisung was expecting Minho to be, well, mean. He was getting whiplash at how nice he was being. How could someone be this nice? Jisung felt like he hit the jackpot. As much as he loved Changbin, he could tell he’d be having a much harder time right now if he had been with him instead.

He suddenly smirked at the thought. Hyunjin was probably with Changbin right now. 

“Let’s start?”

“Okay.”

Minho smiled. Jisung smiled right back at him.

He might actually enjoy this. 

\--------

Like Jisung, Seungmin also made his way to the archives.

The Star archives.

It was his first time going here this semester. He used it often, opting not to deal with the throng of students in the library commons. He could never concentrate on his work properly when the room was teeming with people. The most he could deal with was Jisung who almost always fell asleep beside him, and Changbin who worked with a silent and sheer concentration that matched his own.

After parting with Jisung, he wasted no time and went on the familiar route leading up to his house’s archives. 

One of the things he loved the most was the hallway that led to the archives. He found healing and comfort in it. The walls were a deep royal blue, like the color of the sky just after the sunset and right before the moon rises. It was the kind of blue that was expectant of the stars. Like the other houses, the walls were lined with paintings of its prominent wizards. For the house of Stars, most paintings were that of Seonbi; they stood proud and dignified wearing their elegant silk robes. Most read scrolls or held a brush in hand to write one up. There were some who just liked to sit and drink tea. If you happened to linger near one of the paintings, they’d engage you in conversation and share some of their wisdom. They’d even answer a question of yours if they were fond of you. Seungmin liked doing that sometimes. As he walked down the hallway now, some of the paintings greeted him. He bowed to each one of them in return.

With a few more steps, he arrived at the threshold of the archives. There was no door that kept one from entering; knowledge was free for all. 

What Seungmin loved even more than the hallway was the archives itself. Being inside felt like you were in an observatory. The difference was, there seemed to be no ceiling that separated you from the sky. No matter what time of the day it was, you could see the stars when you looked up. They were the house of Stars after all. 

What Seungmin didn’t like was the bad reputation the archives appeared to have. Students have warned before that there was a ghost haunting it.

This never affected Seungmin. He was always there and he never encountered any ghost. Seeing is believing and he never saw anything. 

The story of the haunting seemed to work for Star students because barely anyone visited besides him. He never ran into anyone else. It was either that, or they just really preferred the more modern look of the library commons. It was indeed tempting because there was an espresso machine there that knew exactly what you wanted. 

Seungmin preferred the solace over the free coffee any day.

Only Changbin and Jisung knew that this was his hideaway. They visited him sometimes, but never stayed too long. Changbin didn’t like it too much here. He liked being around people.

Seungmin was fond of a particular spot in the archives. It was a desk in the far corner of the room, hidden by a couple of shelves. Sitting there felt like you were the only person in the world, which was a feeling he sometimes sought. When Jisung and Changbin came here for the first time, they both thought he was trying to fool them because they couldn’t find him anywhere. It was only when he came out from his hiding spot when they realized he had been there all along.

Just as he usually did, he deliberately proceeded towards his favorite spot. He laid down his books, took out his pens and quills, and finally sat down. He scanned his notes from the day that had just passed. He particularly liked the lighting of the archives; wherever he went, there seemed to be an adequate amount of brightness and brilliance that was perfect for reading. He could read long hours without his eyes ever feeling tired. If Jisung didn’t call or message him for dinner each time, he probably would've stayed all night. 

He really wondered why students didn’t come here more often, but frankly, he was also relieved because the place remained to be his and his alone.

The same was the case today.

Or so he thought. 

Half an hour had passed when he heard light footsteps enter the room. At first he thought it was just his imagination, but they only grew louder as they got closer.

It couldn’t be Jisung because he was certain that he was busy in the Night archives. It couldn’t be Changbin either because he doesn’t remember telling him he would be here and he knew for a fact that the Head Boy would never go here on his own. 

Just as these thoughts crossed his mind, the lights suddenly went out. 

How could that be? In all the times that he came here, that had never happened before.

He hated to admit it but cold sweat started to run down his back. He stood up and felt for the wand inside his bag. He didn’t like staying in the dark for too long. Worse still, the footsteps were still there. Once he got a hold of his wand, he walked past the shelves that concealed him.

Just then, he caught sight of a tall, dark shadowy figure slowly approaching. He couldn’t tell if his eyes were just playing tricks on him, but the shadow grew bigger as it neared him.

He thought of the worst case scenario. If it were a ghost, he could deal with that. If it were an evil ghost, he could still manage that. Ghosts couldn’t hurt him physically anyway. If it were a Dementor or any other magical creature that he had not yet heard of, that would be the real danger. 

Thinking ahead, he drew his wand.

“Expecto Patronum!”

The white mist shot out from his wand. It was the first defensive spell that came to his mind. At first, the patronus was weak, but it became more stable as Seungmin focused his thoughts. The white mist gradually took its final form: a white lamb. It seemed gentle at the onset, but once it sensed the source of its owner’s danger, it darted fearlessly towards it. The lamb rammed into the shadow figure and surrounded it with blinding light.

“Ouch!” 

The figure let out, stumbling. 

Seungmin recognized that voice. He flicked his wand, his patronus dissipating. 

“Lumos.”

The figure seated on the floor now was actually Hyunjin.

“Why didn’t you do lumos first?” Hyunjin exclaimed, shielding his eyes from the light. The lamb patronus had stunned him. 

“Why’d you turn the lights off?” Seungmin retorted, holding the wand away from Hyunjin’s face.

“I didn’t!”

As if on cue, the lights turned back on. It seems the ghost of the Star archives didn’t like intruders from other houses. 

But Seungmin wasn’t even paying attention to that right now.

“What are you even doing here?”

“What do you mean what am I doing? Changbin sent me here.”

“Changbin sent you?”

“Of course Changbin sent me. Why would I clean another house’s archives by choice?”

“Clean?”

“Apparently, this is his version of detention.”

It seems Jisung and Hyunjin were told to do the same thing. He wondered if this was the Head Boys’ plan all along. He had heard from somewhere before that one of the duties of Head Boys was to organize their house archives, and the Head Boys hated it the most. Getting your Prefects to do it instead was certainly the easier way out.

“Where is Changbin?” Seungmin asked.

“He said he couldn’t make it today, but that you’d be here to help,” Hyunjin said, still rubbing his eyes. 

Seungmin was still confused. It seems he needed to talk to the Head Boy after this. He never agreed to this kind of arrangement. Changbin was smart, but he was also forgetful. He probably forgot to mention this to Seungmin. 

Hyunjin could tell just from looking at his face that the other boy had no idea what he was talking about.

“You don’t know, do you?”

Seungmin shook his head. 

“Then if you’re not here for me, what the hell are you doing here?”

“This is where I study.”

Hyunjin gave him a weird look.

“In this dingy place?”

Seungmin felt a little insulted. 

“I like it here.”

Hyunjin sighed, “I guess I’m not surprised.”

Hyunjin didn’t know much of Kim Seungmin. This was probably the first time they interacted like this. They’ve been classmates before, but he just saw him to be one of the achievers; nothing new from a Star student.. He noticed how he always got the questions right whenever their professors called him. He never saw him struggling on a recipe in potions the way he did. He also usually turned out to be one of the first to deliver a spell perfectly. He seemed like the quiet type; a stark contrast to the noisy Jisung. While he and Jisung bickered and argued, there was always a lone figure at the side, either wearing an amused or annoyed expression on his face and holding a book in hand. That was always the image that Hyunjin held of Seungmin. 

Hyunjin blinked his eyes. His sight was going back to normal. 

”I think I’m okay now. Go back to what you were doing before. I can handle it from here.”

“Are you sure? I can help.” 

“I can do this on my own.”

It didn’t look like Hyunjin was in the mood to bargain. 

“Okay then.” 

Seungmin reluctantly made his way back to the desk. He brought his attention back to the book in front of him, recovering from what had just transpired. While he studied, he could hear Hyunjin shuffling around. Every so often, he would hear the thud of a book hitting the ground. He couldn’t even imagine how Hyunjin was going to start; the collection was vast. There were almost a hundred shelves and he only had 30 days. 

\--------

An hour later, Hyunjin still hadn’t made any progress. He couldn’t count the times he circled from one shelf to another. He couldn’t even tell if he had already passed the same shelf twice. He paced around but didn’t actually get anywhere.

He didn’t hear much of Seungmin either. Only the sound of pages turning and pen scribbling on paper told him that he was still there. 

Hyunjin went back to the shelf he was scanning moments before. Or was it the other one? He couldn’t really tell anymore. He reached up to a pile of books on the topmost shelf, not knowing that the screws were loose. The books came crashing down before him. 

Hard work wasn’t cutting it right now. It dawned on him that he really couldn’t do this alone.

Seungmin looked up from writing, startled at the loud sound. He walked over to where Hyunjin was and the books strewn on the floor. Thankfully, nothing seemed damaged.

“Are you sure you don’t need help?”

Hyunjin gave him a resigned expression. 

“Fine.”

Seungmin approached and started by piling up the books that had just fallen. He took his wand out to fix the broken part on the shelf; only Hyunjin couldn’t use magic right now. Hyunjin watched as he quickly glanced at the titles and calmly put them in their proper place. He told Hyunjin what books they were and how they were arranged. He seemed to know what he was doing; he definitely knew a lot more than Hyunjin. 

With Seungmin on board, Hyunjin started to see some progress. He replicated what he had done with the other shelves near them, while Hyunjin took mental notes diligently. Things were looking a bit more tangible now. Thanks to Seungmin, he was beginning to see some light gleaming at the end of the tunnel. 

They spent another hour scoping out the archives, until it was time to go. Seungmin was getting hungry; Jisung had just texted him too. Hyunjin was also getting tired. They decided to call it a day. 

“Thank you. I really appreciated your help,” Hyunjin said.

“No problem,” Seungmin replied.

Hyunjin paused.

“Will you be here again tomorrow? I mean, it’s okay if you’re busy. I’m just wondering.”

He took a step towards Seungmin and smiled his signature smile. Hyunjin was well-aware of his effect on people, that smile of his in particular. His tone was the same tone he used when he needed a favor from someone or when he wanted to get out of trouble. It’s success rate was quite impressive too; it was a talent he had long mastered. He knew he needed Seungmin. He wouldn’t have accomplished anything today if it weren’t for him. He was no longer counting on Changbin being here. 

Hyunjin’s face fell. The other boy wasn’t even paying any attention to him, his eyes more enamored at the book he was holding.

But Seungmin heard what he said and he actually felt for Hyunjin. Changbin practically abandoned him today.

“Sure, I’ll be here. I’m almost always here anyway.”

Hyunjin smiled. Victorious.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The archive ghost is actually Cupid JK HAHAHAHAHA!
> 
> Finally, a little Seungjin. I really wanted to get this chapter out right away. I'm really excited for the future chapters because I have a lot of ideas in mind. Please look forward to it!


	5. All You Have to Do is Ask

The days passed quickly for the Head Boys and Prefects. Everyone was busy. It was just the first week but their professors had no plans of holding back. Before any of them knew it, the week was over and a new one was about to begin. They barely even felt the weekend. Before long, it was Monday again; time for the Head Boys and Prefects’ weekly meeting.

They discussed the administrative matters first: announcements from the higher-ups, updates on each house, as well as any concerns from students. They didn’t have to mention the incident between Hyunjin and Jisung because it had already been dealt with and done; there was no point in putting the two Prefects through another round of embarrassment. 

Once those were out of the way in the agenda, Chris switched to a lighter tone.

“Everyone, Felix has something to share with us.”

Felix stood up and made his way to the front. His hair today was a pastel pink color. He wore a matching pink button-down underneath his blazer; the sparkling green malachite pendant complimented it. This morning, he looked like the personification of spring.

“So, a couple of weeks from now, we’ll be having our first team-building activity. It’s time that we get to know each other a little better. The Wind students will be in charge for this month, and we’ve decided to have a party.”

He said it enthusiastically, but it was hard to read whether the rest of the room’s enthusiasm was the same. Wind students loved parties. Night students only went to those that were worth it. Star students barely even used the word. 

“I hope you don’t mind, but we’ve already delegated some work to everyone to give you some time to think and plan.”

The other faces were expectant.

Chris chimed in, “Felix and I will be in charge of the place and the food. Minho and Jeongin will be doing decorations. Changbin and Seungmin will take care of the entertainment. And Hyunjin and Jisung will get the drinks.”

It looked like the Head Boys really just wanted the two of them to suffer.

“What? No,” Hyunjin was quick to respond.

“I’ll buy drinks with any other person besides him,” Jisung pleaded.

“Sorry, everyone has their own responsibilities already. This is yours. You’re just going to have to try your best,” Chris said, smiling sternly. 

With Chris’ authoritative tone, the boys could no longer argue.

“It’s the most important part of the night so we have high expectations,” Changbin warned.

“You still have a lot of time. Fighting,” Minho said, shaking an encouraging fist at the two.

The two boys weren't even done making amends for the first offense. They couldn’t risk getting into even more trouble as it is. They were just going to have to swallow their pride down and bear it. 

“Remember, if you need help, all you have to do is ask.”

When they had adjourned, the Star students left for their classes right away; the Night students stayed behind to chat some more. While Hyunjin, Minho, and Jeongin talked about the mundane, the Wind students were already planning for the weeks to come. 

“This is going to be fun,” Felix said, his hair turning into a brighter shade of pink.

\--------

It was officially the start of the 2nd week of Jisung’s penalty. The first week wore him out the same way a month would, and there were still 3 weeks to go. Fortunately for him, Minho was a welcome presence. He was polite when he spoke to him and gentle when he had to give orders. He helped Jisung organize the books and documents as much as he could. As they talked more, they found out that their humor was actually compatible. Conversations always ended up being fun and interesting. They got comfortable with each other fast. 

“Minho, I really don’t know what to do about the party.”

Minho looked at him, “You heard Chris. There’s no way out of it.”

It was clear that the Head Boys were still spiteful towards the childishness of the two Prefects. Jisung knew that the more he and Hyunjin fought it, the more they would force them into situations like this. They had to do something, but Jisung just didn’t know how to start. He doubted that Hyunjin did too. 

Minho chuckled beside him as he rearranged the books on the shelf alphabetically. Jisung’s face revealed everything. 

“You know, you’re wrong about him. Very wrong.”

Jisung looked at him, not knowing what to say.

Minho smiled, “Ease up on him. He’s probably wrong about you too. You just don’t talk enough so you’ve misunderstood a lot of things about each other.”

Jisung shrugged, “That’s easy for you to say. He only lets you see his good side.”

Minho fervently shook his head.

“No, I’m sure that he isn’t perfect. He has his own weaknesses,” he said, facing Jisung.

“One thing I can say for sure is that Hyunjin works harder than anyone else. I recommended him to be Prefect for a reason. It’s true that we’re friends, but he’s also the most reliable person I know.” 

Jisung wanted to believe him but his own prejudice held him back. How was he going to do this?

“You heard them, all you have to do is ask.”

\--------

On the other side of the campus, Seungmin and Hyunjin were also busy in the archives. 

They were the same as the previous week, working quietly alongside each other. Seungmin didn’t say much to him nor did he really speak at all. Hyunjin was also perplexed about what they could talk about so he just didn't. It didn’t look like they had much in common either. 

Needless to say, Hyunjin was growing a little insane the more time he spent in the silence of the archives. He was accustomed to being around talkative people like Minho and Jeongin. Quiet was not a word often associated with the house of Night. They were known to be gregarious. Carved out of the will of warriors, they advocated against restraint. You pursue things head-on, both foes and friendships. 

“Seungmin, I don’t know how you can survive being here for so long. I think I’m going crazy.” 

“Hm?” 

Seungmin looked up. It sounded like Hyunjin had been bottling his frustration up for a while now. 

“My eyes can’t handle seeing these many books all at once.” 

Seungmin paused, “Maybe we should take a break then.” 

Hyunjin couldn’t agree more. They had been in the archives for more than an hour already. They had gotten through quite a lot today; a huge improvement from the days before. They were starting to develop a system: Seungmin would be the brain and Hyunjin would be the brawn. He would lug the books around while the other boy would tell him exactly where to put them.

He and Seungmin made their way to the desks. Seungmin sat down. Hyunjin took the chair opposite to him and laid his head back. Looking at the books tired his eyes out, but looking up at the stars in the ceiling seemed to take that away.

“How’d you end up loving books as much as you do?”

It was only the two of them now without the humdrum of work in the middle. They might as well chat. 

“I grew up around books. My parents are both lawyers,” Seungmin said, gazing up from the document in his hands. 

It seemed whenever Hyunjin looked at Seungmin, he was always reading or writing something. It was never just Seungmin being Seungmin. Or maybe this just happened to be who Seungmin was.

“Law-yers?” Hyunjin said, as if the word was foreign to his tongue.

Seungmin thought of how to answer the question properly. He wasn’t sure how to explain the legal profession to someone from a traditional wizarding family. He had never had to explain it to Changbin or Jisung before. Like him, Changbin was muggle-born. Jisung, on the other hand, was from a wizarding family too, but one that migrated to another country and decided to live like muggles.

“They defend a cause and act as advocates for other people,” he said, trying to say it as simply as he could.

Hyunjin just nodded and acted like he understood.

“What kind of books did you read as a child?” he said, reverting to the original topic.

“A lot! Mostly fantasy.”

For the first time, Hyunjin heard excitement in Seungmin’s voice. Hyunjin laughed, propping himself up to face him. He placed an elbow on the table and laid his chin on his palm.

“Fantasy? What’s that?” he answered, once more sounding as if Seungmin was speaking a completely different language.

Seungmin was faced with the same dilemma as before. How does he explain to someone who grew up in a fantasy world what fantasy was? 

Hyunjin lived and breathed magic. It was hard to draw the line between real and unreal with him. Unreal might not even be a concept. Seungmin racked his brain for the right words to say.

“Fantasy is about things that are imagined and aren’t likely to happen in real life.“

Hyunjin gave Seungmin the same clueless daze as when he heard the word lawyers. 

Seungmin arduously sought to explain what fantasy was. He told Hyunjin stories of faraway kingdoms, of princes and princesses, of dragons and unicorns, and of plants and animals that could move and speak like humans. He spoke of two moons, alternate universes, doorways into the unknown, and keys that could open any lock. As he heard himself, his own words were failing him. That was fantasy then, but this was all very real to him now.

Hyunjin laughed. He found it both amazing and a little ridiculous. All of that was banal to him. He pictured the life of muggles, imagining things like this, writing stories about them, and finding absolute joy in it. He smiled at how things that seemed like a small matter to him were a source of fancy for others. To people that weren't like them, magic was _magic._ He thought that Seungmin must’ve felt so happy when he found out that the things he had only read about as a child were actually real; that he could live a life of fantasy just like in his stories. 

Is this what muggles dream about?

Hyunjin wondered about his own dreams as a child. 

What was even more magical than the magic he knew now? 

He realized that maybe muggles knew more about magic than he did.

“Do you have a favorite book?”

Seungmin thought for a second. Hyunjin watched him think; it must be difficult for him to choose.

“I loved _The Little Prince,_ ” Seungmin finally replied.

“What is it about?” Hyunjin asked, curious. 

Seungmin narrated to him the story of a pilot who crashed into the Sahara desert and met a prince with golden hair. He spoke of the prince’s love for a rose, and the lessons he learned from all the people and animals he encountered. He didn’t tell him the ending though. 

Hyunjin felt genuinely interested after listening to him. This was the most Seungmin had ever spoken since they met. That was also the first time he heard Seungmin sound so eager and enthusiastic about something. 

“I’d like to read that some time.”

Seungmin smiled, “I can give you a copy.”

“Really?”

“Of course.” 

To Seungmin, sharing a book he loved was always a welcome thing to do. 

He turned to Hyunjin, “What about you? Did you like any books as a child?”

Admittedly, Hyunjin wasn’t much of a reader. He grabbed the broom more than he grabbed a book, even now. As a child, he usually collapsed in bed after a long day of playing outside with his other wizard friends. His memories of reading outside of school were of his mom reading to him so that he would fall asleep.

“Maybe the closest thing is _The Tales of Beedle the Bard._ ”

“I’ve heard of that,” Seungmin answered. “But I haven’t gotten around to reading it.”

“There’s actually a book that you haven’t read yet?” Hyunjin teased, chuckling. He switched to a sentimental tone, “I love The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Most children do. My mother read them to me.”

Seungmin could picture a young Hyunjin in bed while his mother recited a story from The Tales of Beedle the Bard to lull him to sleep; he felt a tinge of envy at the thought. He was an only child and his parents were both busy people. They bought him as many books as he wanted, but Seungmin could only read them to himself. The books were enough to fill his room to the brim, but they could never really fill his parents’ absence. He just got used to it as he grew older, and found greater comfort in books as he did.

“Did you have a favorite story?” Seungmin asked.

Hyunjin’s eyes lit up, “ _The Fountain of Fair Fortune._ ”

Hyunjin liked that tale the most because it was the happiest one out of all the stories in the book. He didn’t hold back from telling Seungmin about it in its entirety.

“That sounds like a really nice story. Maybe I should find time to read it one of these days.”

“I’ll give you a copy. We have a lot at home,” Hyunjin said in a cheerful tone.

At that moment, Hyunjin realized that Seungmin wasn’t actually quiet. It was just that he liked talking about the things he loved the most. It was simply a matter of finding out what those were.

All he really had to do was ask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I highly recommended the books and stories I mentioned in this chapter!


	6. Close

Another week was at its end. The boys were past the halfway mark of the month. They were now on its 3rd week. They all had mixed feelings as they thought about the month nearing its end.

Seungmin was dreading the last week because that meant that it was time for the first round of practical exams. Reviewing for any kind of exam was a constant source of anxiety for him; he put a lot of pressure on himself to perform, even if he always did. Changbin was in the same boat. It wasn’t easy being a 7th year and being a Head Boy didn’t make it any easier.

Felix and Chris were feeling both excited and nervous for the month’s end. Soon it would be time for the Head Boys and Prefects’ party and preparations were in order. With them, Minho and Jeongin had already started working on the theme they were going for for the decorations.

Hyunjin and Jisung were looking forward to the month finally ending for obvious reasons. They could finally be free of their penalties. After this, the Quidditch season would be starting. That meant that afternoons would be allotted for training again. The two were accustomed to being out in the field and not trapped among books and shelves. They both sorely missed the feeling of the grass under their sneakers.

Regardless of this, afternoons were getting more and more bearable for them. They both enjoyed the company they had. Their steps had grown much lighter compared to the first day.

Today was another day.

“Kim Seungmin!” Hyunjin called out. The other boy usually made it earlier to the archives than he did.

Normally, he would hear the sound of a chair being pushed back then that of light footsteps. This would be followed by the sight of a boy with brown hair peeking out from the shelves in the corner of the room. Hyunjin would walk up to him, while Seungmin welcomed him with a knowing smile. That had become their routine.

Hyunjin learned that as long as the topic of conversation was about books or school, he got the other boy to talk. And he could talk quite a lot. The deafening silence in the archives had dissipated and was replaced by chatter and laughs. He liked hearing about Seungmin’s fastidious study habits; he couldn't believe a person like that could exist. He found that it was interesting how different Star students treated everyday school life compared to them from the Night. Those from the house of Night had a knack for winging it. Cramming was not an uncommon thing to do. At times he felt that they pushed the boundary of courage too much, but they still ended up with passing marks anyway. That was all they cared for.

Even more than this, Hyunjin particularly liked their conversations about Seungmin’s favorite books; books whose titles Hyunjin was hearing for the first time. It was like a world that he was just discovering now. He developed a fondness for the giddy and animated way Seungmin spoke about these stories. And so he asked him about them again and again, while Seungmin obliged without fail.

Today as he called out to Seungmin, there were no footsteps nor any sign of the boy.

Instead, someone approached him from behind.

“Oh you’re already here,” Changbin said, arriving fresh from class. It looked like he finally decided to show up.

“Seungmin’s not here today?”

Changbin shook his head, “He said he had to study. He seems stressed out over his classes.”

Although Hyunjin and Seungmin never really spoke a word to each other outside of the archives, he noticed that Seungmin was even more focused than usual in their lessons these days. Each time he tried to say hi after class, Seungmin was already out of the door to go to the next one. He just couldn’t catch up to him.

“Oh okay,” Hyunjin replied, a tinge of disappointment in his tone.

Changbin noticed Hyunjin’s sullen reaction, “You two seem to be getting along.”

“We are.”

“That’s good.”

There was silence for a while. Hyunjin told Changbin about what they had worked on the past couple of weeks. Changbin apologized and explained that he had been absent because he was still trying to find the right balance between his studies and Head Boy responsibilities. Now, he had adjusted compared to before. He promised to show up more often. He felt grateful towards him and Seungmin for taking charge in his stead.

Right after the brief exchange, the Head Boy and the Prefect got right on to work. Changbin wasn’t too lost on what to do because Seungmin had already oriented him beforehand. He and Hyunjin set out to do a lot today, only talking when necessary.

\--------

It was just about dinnertime when Changbin decided to call it a day.

“Would you happen to have Seungmin’s number?” Hyunjin asked as they walked out into the hallway together.

“He took something from me yesterday. I’d like for him to return it,” he quickly added, slightly defensive.

That was a bluff. He just really wanted his number. He never found the opportunity to ask when it was just the two of them. Changbin saw right through his lie too, but saw no point in prodding him about it.

Changbin took his phone from his pocket. He fiddled with it for a while before handing it to Hyunjin. The screen lit up with Seungmin’s phone number.

“Thanks.”

They continued to traipse along the hallway.

Changbin broke the silence, “You know, sometimes Seungmin worries me. He works himself too hard. He never eases up on his studies. Sometimes I wish he was a little more carefree like Jisung. I’m not even sure if he has taken an actual break.”

He spoke with brotherly concern. He saw a glimmer of hope with Seungmin’s growing friendship with Hyunjin. It bothered him a little how Seungmin kept to himself too much. He had been pushing him to make more friends for so long. That was one of his motives for choosing him as Prefect, although Seungmin was already qualified on his own.

“I have noticed that he’s really diligent about his studies. All he talks about is school.”

“He’s been like that for as long as I can remember.”

“Have you two always been close?” Hyunjin inquired.

Changbin glanced at him, “He and I are actually from the same neighborhood in Seoul. But we only found out when we met each other here. We’ve taken the same ship to the island ever since.”

“Oh really? How is he outside of school?”

Did he sound too curious?

“Hmm,” Changbin thought for a while. “He’s quite introverted, as you may have already noticed. He barely even contacts me during vacation. I seriously don’t remember when he last went out or when he had an actual break. He hasn’t gone out with Jisung and I yet this semester.”

It seems Changbin was prompting him towards something, but Hyunjin had already thought about it on his own.

Is that so?

\--------

Seungmin couldn’t sleep tonight. He had been in bed for an hour already, but somehow couldn’t catch a wink. He didn’t even understand why. He had spent much of his energy today studying. He was tired, but he just couldn’t sleep. Next to his bed, Jisung’s sheets were still empty. Across him, the other beds were also without their owners. It was a Friday and his roommates were still out and about. He was alone in the room.

Seungmin liked turning in early, even on free nights like this. Getting an adequate amount of sleep the night before was the only way the next day could start right. Changbin often called him out for being too strict on himself.

Tonight, he really just couldn’t sleep. He twisted and turned. He attributed the restlessness to the apprehension he had been feeling with his studies. The first wave of exams would soon be upon them.

He sought to calm down his thoughts. It seemed to work a little.

As he was about to drift off, his phone buzzed on his bedside table. He groaned and reluctantly reached for it.

It was a message from an unknown number.

_Are you okay?_

He wondered who it could be. He couldn’t recall giving his number to anyone the past week. He decided it wasn’t worth it to reply to an unknown number at this time of night. He placed it back where it was.

He tried to sleep again.

His phone buzzed once more.

_This is Hyunjin_

He jolted upright because of that. He surprised himself by his reaction.

_Hi Hyunjin. How did you get my number?_

Hyunjin was quick to reply.

_Changbin gave it to me_

A second ping.

_Are you okay? He said you were stressed out_

Seungmin thought of how he should reply. How was he going to explain that he couldn’t sleep now precisely because of that? Was it worth mentioning that this was nothing new and that he was stressed out on a daily basis? Did he have to know that much of why he was studying more this week was because he had to catch up? As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he felt like he had spent more leisure time than study time in the archives these days. He didn’t hate it. He liked it a lot. He liked it too much.

_I’m okay_

Hyunjin replied in seconds.

_Are you free tomorrow?_

Was he? Saturdays were frequently spent preparing for the next week’s lessons. He hadn’t even finished reviewing the past topics and he had to go over the new ones too. Exams were drawing closer and closer. Not only that, there was a spell he hadn't mastered yet in Alchemy and a chapter he hadn't read yet for History of Shinism.

Seungmin typed the words and hit send. He hated himself afterwards.

_Yes I’m free_


	7. Wonders

Seungmin woke up that morning, wondering. Ever since he agreed to meet Hyunjin the night before, he never stopped wondering. While he ate lunch with Jisung and his other housemates, it rested on the back of his mind. As he bade goodbye to Jisung and Changbin who were taking a trip to the neighboring island, he racked his brain for the reason over and over again; even those two never got him to spend a weekend off. When he left his room, he pondered some more. Even as he was walking to the field and lugging his broom behind him to meet Hyunjin, he was still wondering. His body was not heeding to his mind as he took each deliberate step.

When Hyunjin finally approached him bearing a wide grin on his face, Seungmin stopped wondering.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

The two had their brooms in tow. Hyunjin’s broom was fitting for a Quidditch player; Seungmin’s was just as sturdy but it looked a little more basic. Hyunjin had said in his messages that he wanted to show him something. Seungmin asked him what that was, but Hyunjin said that he was just going to have to find out once they met.

Now they were here.

“Let’s go.”

Hyunjin gestured for the two of them to mount their brooms. Within a few moments, they were up in the air and alongside the clouds. Seungmin was stable at flying, but Hyunjin was swift; he trailed him with a little struggle. He knew that the Seeker could fly faster if he wanted to, but he was holding himself back for his sake. 

They only flew for a few minutes until Hyunjin gradually signalled for them to descend. They landed in a trail beneath a canopy of trees and lined with clusters of iridescent flowers.

“We can go on foot from here.” 

Seungmin couldn’t stop himself from getting distracted as he followed Hyunjin. The flora and fauna around them were too eye-catching to miss. He recognized several species from their Herbology class. 

One particular flower caught his eye. 

It was a sun flower. It had a similar name as the sunflower that most people knew of, but they were quite unique from each other. The sun flower was endemic to this island. They were quite rare too. These sun flowers had petals made of light. Literally, a _sun_ flower. 

There was something exceptionally special about these flowers too. They only blossomed when you were with someone you cherished. The one in front of him right now was in full bloom, its petals glistening as if they were made of gold. He wasn’t sure for whom it was blooming. 

“We’re almost here.”

Seungmin had been momentarily distracted and Hyunjin was already quite a few paces ahead of him. He walked briskly to catch up.

The trail led them to a patch of the island that seemed to be at its very edge. 

Seungmin drew a breath in; he couldn’t hide his awe.

Being here felt like they were in a deserted island with just the two of them. The land before the seemingly endless blue waters appeared to be untouched and unscathed. 

“What is this place?”

Hyunjin looked at him, “I discovered it during a Quidditch match. I didn’t know the Snitch could fly this far but it did. I looked for it again afterwards. We won that day, by the way.”

Seungmin was too captivated with the view to call Hyunjin out for gloating. He didn’t know what to take in first. All of his senses were awake. His eyes were beguiled with the sky and the sea. His skin basked in the gentle warmth of the sun and the cool breeze of the wind. It felt like he was breathing for the first time after holding his breath for a really long time.

Hyunjin could tell that he made the right decision to bring him here. Seungmin was enchanted. 

“I found it depressing how your happy place was a room full of dusty books, so I’m sharing mine.”

This seemed to break Seungmin from his reverie, “Hey, I like the archives.”

Hyunjin laughed, “I know. I’m just giving you options. This is my favorite place in the whole island. You can go here anytime if you want to.”

Seungmin stood there, taking it in some more. 

“This reminds me of picnics beside the Han River.”

Hyunjin smiled, “Well now we have our own Han River right here.” 

Seungmin got quiet, a million thoughts running through his mind but also none. Hyunjin silently watched him at the side. He wanted to bring him somewhere he could relax completely, away from books and school. 

“If you close your eyes, you can hear the sirens singing.”

Seungmin did as he was told. Hyunjin was right. He smiled as he caught a faint, but distinct melody. 

Seungmin felt a little overwhelmed, but in a good way. His heart felt full. He hadn’t felt that in a while. He wasn’t even sure if he remembered having this feeling in his chest. He had gotten too used to always feeling like he was missing something, he had forgotten what it was like to feel full. Here now, he was overflowing. Today was a good reminder. 

“Thank you for bringing me here,” Seungmin said, looking at Hyunjin with joy in his eyes. 

Hyunjin beamed. He was full of joy as well. 

The two decided to settle themselves on a couple of rocks at the edge of the river. They were at an arm’s length from the water, just close enough to reach out and graze the surface with their fingers.

Hyunjin initiated the conversation, “Have you and Changbin decided on what to do for the party?” 

Seungmin laughed. His laugh seemed to touch his eyes more than usual.

“It’s a secret for now.”

Hyunjin wondered what the Star students’ definition of fun was.

“How about you and Jisung? Have you spoken?” Seungmin asked, volleying the question back to him.

Hyunjin lamented at the thought. 

“I have no idea what to do about that yet. I wish Chris and Felix just paired me up with you.”

Seungmin chuckled, “Changbin knows I don’t drink.”

“You don’t?” 

Seungmin shook his head.

“That’s gonna change during the party,” Hyunjin teased.

Seungmin dismissed it with a smile.

“Jisung drinks fairly well though,” he added.

Hyunjin rolled his eyes at the mention of his name, “I don’t even know why he’s still mad at me.”

His voice was nonchalant, but it was also curious. 

Seungmin knew why. He just didn’t know if it was the right time or if he was the right person to say it. Hyunjin probably thought that it rooted from his vanity, but Seungmin knew that it ran deeper than that. 

Before the Sorting Ceremony in their first year at Yellow Wood, Jisung and Hyunjin actually got along pretty well. They met in _Myeongdong-i_ * weeks before school where they bought their wands and books together. They even ended up taking the same boat ride to Nami Island. Once the boys were sorted into their own houses, that was the beginning of the end for their friendship. As it turned out, Hyunjin drew attention to himself without even trying. It became clear that he would become one of the popular ones. With his new popular friends, he no longer acknowledged Jisung. Jisung treasured all of his relationships; Seungmin knew that well. He hated it when people left. He cried when the 7th years in their room graduated one by one. As loud as he seemed, he was actually introverted and only opened himself up to a few. He thought Hyunjin would be one of those few. Although Jisung himself found new friends among his housemates after being sorted, he could never let go of how Hyunjin changed. The incident at Quidditch class was what cemented the strained relationship between the two.

When Seungmin told Jisung that he would be helping Hyunjin, his best friend absolutely hated the idea. But he also knew that there was no way of stopping Seungmin from going to the archives. He simply had to deal with it.

“Do the two of you ever fight?” Hyunjin asked.

“We have, but not often,” Seungmin answered. “I’m not as petty as he is.”

That made Hyunjin laugh. 

“Isn’t it bad that you’re saying things like this about him to me?”

“He knows he’s petty. Our friendship has survived this long because I don’t take _all_ of his words to heart. Only when it matters.” 

Hyunjin thought for a second.

“Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?” 

Seungmin paused for a while, glancing at Hyunjin. Hyunjin did the same to him.

“Did you ever think the same as him?”

“Like what?”

“That I’m nothing but my face.” 

Seungmin cocked his head to the side. 

“I’m sure he didn’t mean it that way. Jisung just doesn’t process his thoughts before he says them out loud,” Seungmin replied, his tone reassuring. “And besides, what’s wrong with your face?”

Hyunjin scoffed. Seungmin could tell that he was troubled. It was obvious that he didn’t get the answer he had hoped for. He thought for a second, contemplating what to say next.

“Look, I don’t like putting people in boxes. I’d hate to be put in a box myself.” 

Hyunjin didn’t say anything. He weighed Seungmin’s words in his mind. He didn’t want to admit it, but what Jisung said about him _that_ day bothered him a lot. A fire ran through his veins when he heard it. He couldn’t have stopped himself from doing what he did. 

It didn’t make sense to him how someone as sensible as Kim Seungmin could be friends with someone like Han Jisung. But who was he to judge? The two seemed to match each other well. He couldn’t help but admire that kind of relationship with someone---Having someone who accepted you, rough edges and all.

“I think people are similar to books. You can’t judge one simply based on its cover. Jisung may already have you shelved, but I’m barely even through the first chapter.”

Seungmin really had an exceptional way of catching Hyunjin off guard every now and then. That quelled the flame that had started to burn in his heart, replacing it with comforting warmth.

“I didn’t realize you were quite the poet, Kim Seungmin.”

Seungmin responded with laughter. They sat in a silence for a while. 

Hyunjin changed the topic, “What are your hobbies, Seungmin?” 

“Hobbies?” 

“Yes, what do you like doing in your free time?”

“I like reading,” he said simply.

Hyunjin rolled his eyes, “Besides that.”

“I like going to the library.”

He groaned in response. “Besides that.”

“I like practicing spells when I have time.”

Hyunjin felt that his words were incredulous. 

“Something that’s not related to school.”

Seungmin mulled it over for a second.

“I guess I like taking pictures.”

Hyunjin gazed at him, finally interested. “Now you’re talking. What kind of pictures do you take?”

A certain brightness touched Seungmin’s eyes. It was similar to the twinkle he had seen before when he was talking about his favorite books. 

“I like taking pictures of trees and flowers and the sky. Of this,” he said, motioning at the sights. “I like taking pictures of pretty things.”

Hyunjin laughed, “Well, you should take pictures of me then.”

Seungmin smiled at the remark, but didn’t say anything.

“Any other hobbies?” Hyunjin asked, prompting more out of the usually reserved guy.

“I like listening to music.”

“What kind of music do you listen to?”

“Have you heard of this band called Day6?”

Hyunjin looked at him with a curious gaze. 

“I’ll let you listen some time. They’re amazing. I love them,” Seungmin said, facing him. 

Hyunjin looks up at the sky, “I wonder what it takes to be something that Kim Seungmin loves.”

Hyunjin realized that he had said the words out loud. It was forward, but it was honest. He waited for the other boy’s response, but Seungmin just laughed again. 

Seungmin was laughing a lot right now. Hyunjin realized that he liked the sound of his laughter. It made him laugh too. It was rare to hear it from him, but he revelled in it when he did. He wanted to hear it over and over again.

“What about you? What are the things you like?” 

Hyunjin didn’t hesitate to answer, “I like eating good food with good friends. I like playing Quidditch with my teammates. I also like playing games with my roommates.”

“You really like being around people, don’t you?”

Seungmin always thought that he understood books better than he did people. Even outside of Yellow Wood, he only kept a few friends. It was a feat how he was here with Hyunjin now. He wouldn’t have done something like this before, crafting any excuse to say no. 

But as he found out, it wasn’t easy to say no to Hyunjin. Is this what the other students felt? Although Seungmin couldn’t say he was charmed by him like they were. He just felt comfortable with Hyunjin. Being around him felt effortless.

“Yes, sometimes,” Hyunjin said, responding to the question. “But I also like things like this. I like the silence too. I like it when I can just be relaxed and carefree. I like things simple, easy, and straightforward.”

Seungmin nodded.

“I think you are the opposite,” Hyunjin remarked.

“What do you mean?”

“You like complex and challenging things. Things that keep you on your toes. Things that keep your mind guessing and your heart racing.”

“How can you tell?”

To Hyunjin, Seungmin was simple, easy, and straightforward; just as he liked.

Despite what most people thought, Seungmin was uncomplicated. His mind craved for depth and meaning, but there was a method to the madness. He kept the things that he liked close to him and stayed away from those that he didn’t. He did a lot of what he enjoyed, like reading and going to the archives. If he didn’t want to do one thing, there was no way to convince him otherwise. He always spoke his mind freely because he never really saw the point in beating around the bush. His choices in food, clothes, and music never really changed either and thus, were quite easy to predict. There was also a common theme in his favorite stories. Although they weren’t all happy endings, they always left him with a valuable lesson in the end.

Hyunjin chuckled, “You know, you think too much and don’t say a lot, but you’re actually not that hard to read.”

Hyunjin couldn’t see Seungmin’s thoughts, but he could tell what he was thinking. He barely heard him speak of his own feelings, but he could read it in his eyes.

As he looked at him like that, he wondered if this is what magic was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: *Myeongdong-i is literally Myeongdong 2. It 's hidden in Myeongdong! I wanted it to be similar to the Wizarding World’s Diagon Alley!
> 
> I cannot express enough how many times I screamed at myself while writing this chapter!
> 
> Honestly, I was going to keep this fic at just 10 chapters but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore, so let's see!


	8. The Party

Jisung was beginning to feel the pressure. It was only a couple of days away from the party. Chris and Felix had booked the room and the menu had already been chosen. Minho and Jeongin had just finished the decorations. Changbin and Seungmin had long accomplished their tasks. Hyunjin and Jisung had nothing. Zilch. Zero.

“I don’t know what to do anymore!”

“Message him,” Seungmin answered from across the table. They were having lunch.

“I don’t have his number!”

“I do.”

Jisung threw him a strange expression, but didn’t ask further. 

“Just give him a chance.” Seungmin said, reaching his phone out towards Jisung. “You gave Minho a chance.”

“But Minho’s nice,” Jisung whined.

“Hyunjin is also nice,” Seungmin retorted.

He scorned, “Look who’s smitten. He’s charming you just like everyone else.”

His best friend rolled his eyes, “He’s not as bad as you think.”

Jisung battled with himself. He wasn’t too happy with Seungmin’s closeness with Hyunjin, but he was more relieved that his best friend was finally opening himself up to more people. 

He knew that he and Hyunjin had to do something soon or they were going to take another beating from the Head Boys. It was the last week of the penalty too and he didn’t want it to spill over to Quidditch season. 

Jisung rolled his eyes and took a deep labored breath, “Fine.”

\--------

It took Hyunjin hours to reply to Jisung’s message and a little prompting from Seungmin for him to finally do so. 

Hyunjin sluggishly dragged his feet and his broom to the meeting place he and Jisung agreed on. They planned to fly to the nearby island to buy the drinks they needed for the party. They had to do it in secret because flying out on school days and school nights wasn’t allowed. It was their fault for waiting this long to get around to doing it. 

He and Jisung didn’t say a word to each other as they mounted their brooms and set out for the skies. Both Seekers, they easily avoided the school’s protective parameters against stubborn students. They easily and quickly arrived at their destination: District 9. 

District 9 was a known joint where students from Yellow Wood could unwind and relax. It had all sorts of places for teenagers: restaurants, bars, stalls, and stores. The place they were going to now was called Slump. It had the best assortment of drinks in the area.

As Jisung and Hyunjin entered the establishment, the man behind the counter looked at them curiously but wasn’t surprised. He immediately recognized them to be students from Yellow Wood. Their ages weren’t the issue; they were both 18 after all. What surprised him more was that this wasn’t a usual day for them to be here. Nonetheless, he greeted the two in an enterprising manner. 

Jisung and Hyunjin grabbed a basket and wasted no time filling it with bottles. It was better to get this done fast. They didn’t have the luxury to linger, or else they would be caught going past curfew. They busied themselves in different aisles, still avoiding each other. 

Both Jisung and Hyunjin stopped when they came across a familiar bottle.

_Hero’s Soup_

It was the celebratory drink of choice for Quidditch championships. They associated its taste with feelings of success and triumph; the first sip of the drink felt like a victory of its own. Both he and Hyunjin eyed it with thirst. They had the money and they desperately had to keep themselves from spending it all on this one drink. 

“That’s a good drink,” Hyunjin said, not looking at Jisung.

“It is,” Jisung said, also keeping his eyes away from Hyunjin. “We should get one.” 

“We should.”

Jisung nonchalantly took a bottle and placed it in their basket. When he thought Hyunjin had his attention elsewhere, he took another one. Hyunjin caught sight of what he did and hid his smile of satisfaction. At least the guy had a good taste in drinks and friends.

Aside from Hero’s Soup, they took several bottles of Boosters, Boxers, and Astronauts: Boosters for those that wanted just a little boost of liquid courage, Boxers for the hard-hitters, and Astronauts for those that wanted something out of this world. 

As they surveyed their choices, another bottle caught Hyunjin’s attention. The drink was called Sunshine. He remembered Seungmin saying he didn’t drink, but he thought that this was exactly the type of drink that he would like. He seized one bottle of it and placed it with the others just before they paid. 

The two boys handed over the total amount to the man behind the counter. They successfully managed to not go over the cap the Head Boys had set by just a fraction. The man expertly arranged the bottles in several mokeskin pouches, which the boys stored safely into their jacket pockets. 

This was going to be an interesting night.

\--------

The party was a good way to end a very busy week. 

Hyunjin and Jisung were at the last leg of their penalties so they worked even harder in the archives. Seungmin wanted to get in as much reading as possible this week so that he could freely enjoy the festivities during the weekend. He couldn’t offer much help to Hyunjin in the past few days; Changbin had to do that for him. Chris and Felix were the most occupied with the preparations for the party, making sure that everything was in place. They constantly hounded the other Head Boys and Prefects for their obligations. On the other hand, Minho and Jeongin seemed to be getting chased down by their academic requirements and barely just finished them all to reach the deadlines. The same was the case for their party responsibilities, which was a cause for stress for Chris and Felix. Thankfully, all the members delivered. Even Jisung and Hyunjin, to everyone’s relief. 

They picked just the perfect day to let loose.

The party was going to be held at a lounge in the house of Wind. It used to be an empty classroom, but had been repurposed into a place for reading and relaxation for the Wind’s Head Boys and Prefects. Being Head Boy definitely had its perks. Chris thought that the place was perfect for tonight. 

The room had ornate windows draped in emerald green curtains. The walls were a cool shade of teal. There were also elegant couches that were the color of pine. There was a great deal of shades of green in just a single room, but it was somehow pleasing to the eyes. In between panels were odd little inventions housed in glass panes. It was obvious that they were in the house of pioneers. The objects were quite hard to describe, ranging from vials of unknown liquid to tiny worlds encased in snow globes. There were even spheres that floated all on their own. There must be an enchantment that would keep these things from breaking later on in the night.

Minho and Jeongin picked a mafia theme for the party. They decorated the lounge in a lot of black and silver, complementing the green accent of the house of Wind. Everyone had to wear a black attire from head to foot and some silver jewelry to top it off. The two acted as bouncers by the door, meticulously checking everyone’s outfits. Fortunately, everyone crossed the threshold.

To match the mafia theme, Changbin and Seungmin arranged a magical mafia game. They also picked songs from a group called Stray Kids for the playlist. Their music seemed to match the mood of a party.

With the attendance complete, the food laid out, and the game ready, they got right on to the party. Before starting the mafia game, everyone grabbed a drink from the table. 

Hyunjin and Jisung both picked the Hero’s Soup; they even clinked their glasses together to everyone’s pleasant surprise. Chris and Felix started the night off with a Booster for just the right amount of buzz; they’d get on to the harder and heavier ones later on. Seungmin opted for a Booster as well, although he drank sparingly compared to everyone else. Changbin and Minho went for Boxers; a Booster was just a little too light for their taste. Only Jeongin, who beguiled everyone for being child-like, held an Astronaut in hand. Everyone was already expecting him to be the night’s first casualty.

The mafia game was a fun way to kick off the festivities. The 8 of them were each competitive. Even the aloof ones like Seungmin and Changbin got riled up. Felix’s hair changed colors depending on whether he was winning or losing. The ferocity of a fox flashed in Jeongin’s eyes when Chris picked him to be lynched. Chris shot back with a glare filled with the wildness of a wolf. Minho liked playing the role of narrator most of all, manipulating and mocking the boys around the circle. Hyunjin and Jisung were even chosen as the two mafias in one round, which they won. The game got even more interesting as the boys got intoxicated. 

At some point they stopped playing and just drank. And drank some more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter here but the next one has a special place in my heart <3
> 
> I imagined their party outfits to be the ones they wore for the Voices Special Video ([Stream here!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vel653wMcWE)). Hyunjin's get-up absolutely floored me.
> 
> We can be friends on twitter if you want! I'm also [@kimseungmine](https://twitter.com/kimseungmine) there <3


	9. A Drink of Sunshine

The end result of the night was a bunch of boys sprawled on the floor with red faces and cheeky smiles. Some of them were snuggled on the carpet using one of the emerald curtains as a makeshift blanket. The others took up the couches. 

There was some value to being the only sober one left in a party. Seungmin saw everything that happened tonight. Changbin impressed everyone with his surprisingly good singing skills, while Minho did the same with his stellar moves on the dance floor. Everyone confirmed that the rumors about Chris being a wolf had veracity in them. Jeongin also turned into an actual fox tonight. They were also right about him; he was the first one to fall. Felix’s final form this evening was a boy with icy white hair with just as icy eyelashes, and cobalt blue eyes. Hyunjin and Jisung’s feud was as good as done, at least from their actions; they shared several drinks together throughout the party. That, or they were out-drinking each other. If that was the case, Jisung lost because Hyunjin was still awake.

Hyunjin didn’t hold back tonight, but he had an exceptionally high tolerance. He was seated in one of the couches by the window, a bottle by his side.

“Drink some more with me,” Hyunjin beckoned, seeing that he and Seungmin were the only ones left standing. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Seungmin said, glancing at the other Head Boys and Prefects. They weren’t looking a lot like Head Boys and Prefects right now.

“Just one more glass,” Hyunjin pleaded. “I picked this one just for you.”

That last line seemed to do the trick for Seungmin.

The party was as good as done with everyone else asleep around them. He didn’t see how a glass could hurt.

“Fine.”

Hyunjin gestured for him to come closer. He took Seungmin’s glass in his hand and poured the golden liquid into the crystal. As he handed it back, their fingers lightly grazed one another’s.

Hyunjin wasn’t lying when he said he picked this drink to suit Seungmin’s taste. He knew it to be sweet and subtle. There was no burn nor bitterness. He would feel its warmth but would not be overwhelmed by it. That was where its name was derived from. It felt exactly like sunshine.

Seungmin took a hesitant sip. Hyunjin looked at him with expectant eyes.

“Do you like it?”

He nodded, “It’s pretty good.”

“I thought so,” Hyunjin said, satisfaction showing in his lips. “Sit with me.”

Seungmin took a sip from the glass; a sip of bravery. He didn’t know why he suddenly felt nervous at Hyunjin's invitation. Seungmin settled himself on the velvet sofa beside him. Hyunjin never took his gaze off of him. In that dimly lit room, it felt somehow blinding.

“Talk to me," Hyunjin said.

Seungmin took another sip of his drink. 

“I don’t really know what to say.”

“I do,” Hyunjin retorted, quickly salvaging the conversation. “Why don’t you drink?” 

Seungmin paused, “I just like being aware of my surroundings.”

It was true. He liked observing how the events transpired tonight. While everyone else would struggle to remember or choose to forget, he would remember everything. 

“Why? Are you afraid of what you’d do when you’re drunk?” Hyunjin teased.

“What is there to be afraid of?” Seungmin replied.

“Right, what is there to be afraid of? So drink more,” Hyunjin answered, nimbly giving his glass a refill. Seungmin couldn’t even react fast enough to stop him so he just didn’t.

Hyunjin shook his head, as if in disbelief.

“It’s impossible for someone to be as pure as you, Kim Seungmin.”

“Why is that?”

“You’re always so calm and collected. There must be something that makes you angry or something that hurts you.”

With a few more mouthfuls of the golden liquid, Seungmin was beginning to feel it take effect.

“Of course I have those things. Do you think I’m soulless?”

Hyunjin laughed. That was the first time he heard that kind of tone from Seungmin. 

“Then tell me what bothers you the most.”

Seungmin drank again. The words spilled out of his mouth the same way a drink would.

“You know, for a long time I thought that people couldn’t see me. I’m not exactly the type that stands out in a crowd. That made me a little sad. It made me feel small. I decided that I would work hard at least to be respected for my effort. I didn’t really care much for attention, I only wanted recognition when it mattered.”

“Did it work?”

“For a while, yes. I liked being praised for the awards and honors that I got. But the truth is, they can only do so much.”

“Then?”

Hyunjin was just letting him speak.

“I realized later on that recognition didn’t matter if I couldn’t recognize myself. If you can't see your own strengths, you will always drown in dissatisfaction no matter how much recognition you get. I realized that getting yourself to do that is the hardest thing to do.”

Seungmin rarely opened up about this, even to Jisung. Jisung had his fair share of insecurities already. If he heard this from him, he would think that he was joking. As much as Seungmin appreciated how Jisung looked up to him, it was a certain burden on him too. If he told Jisung he was insecure, his own insecurities might get magnified; he certainly didn’t want him to feel that way. Deep into the night with everyone asleep and the smell of wine dancing in his lips, it just made it easier to be vulnerable in front of Hyunjin now.

“Did it work then?”

Seungmin gave a small, slightly drunken smile to Hyunjin.

“I’m still working on it.”

Hyunjin fell silent for a moment, taking it all in. 

“I guess I’m just the same.”

Seungmin kept his gaze on Hyunjin, “How so?”

He hesitated.

“This may sound ridiculous, but I feel a lot like people don’t really see me when they look at me. They see my face, but they aren’t really looking.”

The other boy frowned in response, “I like your face. Everybody likes your face. No one can look as pretty.”

Seungmin surprised himself with his own candor. But who was he to lie about that? 

“I never took it as a compliment when people called me that. Pretty. So what? I don’t want to be known for just that.”

Seungmin was starting to understand why Hyunjin threw that punch at Jisung that day. People looked at Hyunjin, but couldn’t really see him. They looked only with their eyes and not with their hearts. Everything must have felt superficial once he realized this himself. Something that people praised him for was the same thing that they belittled him for. He was a pretty face, indeed. But sometimes, people saw him as just that. _Just_ a pretty face. Hyunjin desperately yearned for them to look at what was behind that pretty face.

And Seungmin was beginning to see just that. 

“Well, what do you see?”

“Huh?”

“What do you see that most people don’t?” 

Hyunjin shrugged, “I don’t even know how to answer that.”

“Then I’ll answer it for you,” Seungmin said, with a dash of confidence. The drink was working.

“For one, you’re reliable. I can tell Minho trusts you with his life.” 

The beginnings of a smile formed at the corners of Hyunjin’s lips.

“You’re also forgiving. Look at you and Jisung now. It’s still not the best, but you two are better off than when this year started.”

The smile grew wider.

“You’re also easy to talk to. I don’t find it easy to talk to most people, but I find it easy to talk to you.”

The smile bloomed fully like a flower in spring.

“You’re pretty, Hyunjin. That’s a good thing. But that doesn’t mean that it’s the only thing you can boast about. You have other strengths, those less visible to the eye. People just get distracted with what they can plainly see, they sometimes forget to look beyond it. Maybe those people aren’t worth your time. Focus on the people who are---Those who see _you._ ”

Hyunjin was taken. He knew that Seungmin was articulate, but his words didn’t just sound eloquent, they felt genuine too. They were like music to his ears, but his heart seemed to sing louder. 

He twirled his own glass in his fingers, peering at Seungmin. The couch suddenly felt too big for two people. 

“I don’t understand what you mean by feeling invisible, Seungmin. Because I see you. Clear as day.”

Seungmin could barely process his words, the haze of the drink slowly taking over. It seems that the real reason he didn’t drink was because he was actually a lightweight. He enjoyed talking to Hyunjin. He desperately wanted to continue the conversation, but his drowsiness was the enemy. Slowly but surely, his eyes began to feel heavy. Slumber was tempting him and he was losing. It was way past his usual bedtime after all.

Before he knew it, he had already drifted into sleep.

“Good night, Kim Seungmin.”

As the night grew deeper, Seungmin was sure that he felt something soft and supple lightly touch his forehead, but he couldn’t tell what it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my favorite one so far!
> 
> (And yes, Hyunjin did.)


	10. The Mirror

Hyunjin strained to open his eyes. The blaring light of the sun coming from the window woke him up. He blinked a couple of times before his sight finally adjusted to the view before him: a bunch of boys in black passed out drunk, countless bottles of alcohol strewn all over, and an absolute mess of a room. 

He adjusted himself to get away from the sun. He still wanted to get a couple more winks of sleep in. Only then did he notice the person asleep beside him.

Seungmin.

He recalled that they were talking last night over a couple of drinks. Seungmin fell asleep earlier than he did; he had a low tolerance for alcohol just as he expected. Last he remembered, there was a bottle between them on the sofa. Now, that bottle was nowhere to be seen and the space that separated the two was also gone. 

Seungmin’s head laid gently on his shoulder.

The sun was rising higher, its light getting brighter as well. With the window free from obstruction, the light hit Seungmin’s eyes. He stirred, but remained asleep. Hyunjin instinctively brought his hand up to shield the light away from Seungmin’s face. 

Hyunjin could not stop himself from staring. 

Even as Seungmin slept, he had a gentleness to him. Hyunjin looked sharp in what he was wearing; a black button down, fitted black jeans, and a silver cross necklace. Seungmin, on the other hand, couldn’t hide his soft personality even when he was clad in black. With Seungmin’s eyes closed now and his face on Hyunjin’s shoulder, he looked snug and serene. Hyunjin wanted to keep it that way.

Suddenly, he heard a movement from across the room. 

The fox had woken up. The sun had roused him too. 

Hyunjin noticed that he was staring at the two of them. He jerked, hastily taking his hand back.

“The sun was on his face,” Hyunjin stuttered.

Jeongin was still groggy and seemed cranky from the hangover. He reached for his wand in his pocket and flicked it. The green curtain that they had just used as a blanket the night before flew back to its place on the window. The room immediately grew dim and the piercing light of the sun disappeared.

“I don’t need to use my fox instincts to know what you were doing,” Jeongin said, before lying down on the floor again and falling back asleep.

What _was_ he doing? 

\------

It took a while before the Head Boys and Prefects stopped talking about the party. They spent the weekend resting and recuperating from their hangovers, but one thing was clear: everyone had a great time. Chris and Felix’s party was a big success. The 8 of them seemed more cozy and comfortable towards each other in the following week’s meeting. Chris and Felix warned Minho, Jeongin, and Hyunjin about the next team-building. The boys from the house of Night were in charge of the next one. The pressure was on them to pull off a team-building activity that was on par with the crazy night. Thankfully, they still had a couple of weeks to think about it.

This week marked the start of the Quidditch season and the end of Hyunjin and Jisung’s penalty. Their relationship with each other seemed to have healed after the party, although not completely. Regardless, they were more amiable; that was enough. Quidditch season meant that afternoons after class would now be reserved for practice and training. The 3 Quidditch players in the group, Jisung, Hyunjin, and Felix, were ecstatic to get back to the game.

Things were back to how they were. Hyunjin was back in the field, so Seungmin had the archives to himself again. As he studied and read alone among the shelves, he could not help but look for the little noises of Hyunjin working in the background. For the past few days, all he had heard was silence. He had to get himself accustomed to the quiet again. 

Today, he was occupied with looking for some books to help with his research. The archives offered him an array of sources. 

As Seungmin was skimming a document, the stillness of the room was disturbed by a movement at the corner of his eye. 

He turned around and noticed a white, misty figure slowly taking shape.

He silently watched as the luminous haze unsteadily took its final form. 

It was a lion. 

The lion walked up to him and bowed as if to whimper. Seungmin reached out his hand towards it and it nuzzled its nose to his fingers in return. He didn’t feel it physically, but he could tell that it meant no harm.

“Your Patronus is a lion?” Seungmin asked as a familiar frame approached him.

The king of the jungle; a patronus fitting for a prince.

Hyunjin exhaled heavily, his shoulders drooping down.

“I haven’t mastered the spell yet. It’s still not as stable as yours,” he answered as he drew back his wand. The lion dissipated.

“What are you doing here?” Seungmin asked, putting the piece of paper that he had just been reading back in its place. He was surprised at his sudden appearance, but just as pleased.

“Practice ended early,” Hyunjin replied, taking a few steps closer. It was then that Seungmin noticed that he was not in their usual uniform and was carrying a broom on his back. 

“And I knew you’d be here,” he added.

Seungmin smiled. He didn’t exactly know how to respond to that. Hyunjin’s manner towards him had noticeably grown warmer in the weeks that had passed. 

Hyunjin laid his Quidditch equipment on the floor.

“Since I’m here anyway, what do you have for me?” 

“What do you mean?”

As far as Seungmin knew, both Hyunjin and Jisung had been pardoned for the incident during their first week. He didn’t really need to come back here today. Or ever.

“What else is there to see in this favorite place of yours?” 

Seungmin thought for a while. He was just about done for the day with his research anyway. And there _was_ an area of the archives that they had not yet touched upon. 

“Follow me.”

\--------

The Star archives didn’t just have books, it had a lot of magical artifacts too. Although Seungmin usually lingered in the books section, he would sometimes find an excuse to idle among the collection of enchanted novelties and bewitched objects. Each time Seungmin went there, he found something new. The items were all encased in glass so they could not touch them but could only look. It was a wonderful feast even just for the eyes. 

As they entered the room, Hyunjin’s astonishment was painted all over his face. Most of these items were things he had just heard from legends or read about in books. He did not even know some of these items existed. He expected mostly magical scribes, scrolls, and books from the house of Stars, but there were also odd things like cursed tea sets and confounded drawers. Seungmin told him the story about each one of them.

Hyunjin had not had the chance to visit their own collection in the house of Night, but he already expected that it would be starkly different from this. He thought of bringing Seungmin there too, but maybe it was not the best idea to bring him among blades and swords forged and stained in war. Their forebears were in clear contrast from each other. He buried the idea in the back of his mind for now.

Among all the marvels and spectacles in the room, there was one item that amazed Seungmin the most. He brought Hyunjin to it last. 

It was easily one of the biggest items in the room, you couldn’t miss it. It was a tall and wooden mirror, intricately carved and inscripted with the following words:

_erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_

He stood before it in awe and waited for the same expression to be reflected on Hyunjin’s own face.

He didn’t. 

“What do you see?” Seungmin asked.

Hyunjin walked all around it, surveying the mirror from all sides.

“What do you mean what do I see? It’s just a mirror.” 

“What do you see?” Seungmin asked again.

Hyunjin raised an eyebrow, but did as he was told.

“I see you and me in the mirror. Just as we are now.”

“Huh? That can’t be right,“ Seungmin muttered to himself. 

“Isn’t that what a mirror’s supposed to do?” Hyunjin said, puzzled.

Seungmin looked at him with a strange expression. 

“Why? What is it?” 

Seungmin quickly changed his expression. 

“Nothing. It’s just a mirror.” 

Hyunjin was about to ask him some more, but he turned to see Seungmin already walking off to the direction of the door. He caught up to him quickly.

That was a lie. Seungmin knew for sure that that mirror was no ordinary mirror. Jisung and Changbin stood in front of this same mirror with him just last year: Jisung saw himself as the Quidditch team captain, while Changbin saw himself as Head Boy. They all saw their own reflections but not each other’s. For all the times he walked past that mirror, Seungmin only saw himself. 

But now, the reflection had changed. Just like Hyunjin, he saw the two of them side by side.

It must’ve been a trick. It had to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll knew what that mirror was ;)


	11. Potions and Poison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowing down the updates after this chapter since it's getting busy at work and also because of the comeback madness! Be sure to stream God's Menu, as well as the rest of the beautiful songs in the album!
> 
> Don't worry because I still plan to complete this quickly! Perhaps within this month or the next. I definitely have a lot of ideas on where to take this, I just have to get around to writing them haha! 
> 
> Thank you for all your comments, seriously. I read each and every one (sometimes several times) and I appreciate them all SO MUCH! <3

This morning, the 6th years were having Potions class. This was a favorite for many of the students, more for the professor rather than the actual potion-making. The class was taught by Mr. Park, a man of an advanced age, but still as eccentric and energetic as he had been in his youth. None of the students could tell how long he had been teaching the same class. Regardless, lessons were always lively and interesting with him.

Seungmin had been looking forward to today's lesson. He found this particular potion to be quite fascinating.

“Today, we’ll be making Amortentia --- The Love Potion,” Mr. Park said in the jolly manner that he usually had.

His words incited a round of joshing and goading from the students.

“Yes, yes, I know you've all been waiting for this, but let’s make even more fun for everyone today,” 

The class looked back at him with interested and eager faces.

Mr. Park paused before speaking, “Work with someone else other than your usual partners. Mix and match as we do in potions. You never know, you might make a new friend. Or more.”

He snickered at his own joke. 

Some students were exasperated, not wanting to be apart from their friends. Others were elated, excited to get away from the partners they had been suffering through since the start of the year.

Jisung was in the former. He always trusted Seungmin to take the lead in their recipes in class, which the latter gladly did.

“Let’s start!” Mr. Park announced, clapping his hands together.

The students around them started to move. Seungmin and Jisung were still contemplating what to do. Seungmin never really worked with anyone besides Jisung. Jisung didn’t know how to work with anyone in class other than Seungmin. Neither of them liked the uncertainty of how that would go. Everyone knew they were two peas in a pod. It was rare for them to be separated like this.

Just then, Seungmin felt an arm around him. He turned to see who it was and froze.

“I’ll take this one off your hands for now,” Hyunjin said, smirking at a displeased Jisung. 

Nearly a week had passed since Seungmin was with Hyunjin in the archives. He hated to admit it, but he felt a little awkward to be around him after that day. He couldn’t forget the image of their reflection in the mirror, but he forcefully forced it at the very back of his mind. Ever since, he had been avoiding him as much as he could. Whenever their eyes met in meetings or in class or in hallways, he dropped his gaze right away. With the position he was in now, he shifted anxiously from one foot to another. There was no avoiding him now. Seungmin was at a loss for what to do. 

Hyunjin didn’t seem to notice any of this. He had already decided which partner to pick the moment Mr. Park announced it to the class. 

Jisung frantically looked around the room. He still hadn’t found a partner. 

Luckily for him, there was a tap on his shoulder. Jeongin was right behind him, waving. Jisung laughed nervously. Jeongin wasn’t exactly the Potions wiz. But how could he say no to that face?

Jisung let Jeongin pull him to the other table, reluctantly leaving Seungmin with Hyunjin. 

Hyunjin still hadn’t taken his arm off Seungmin’s shoulders and Seungmin was growing more and more conscious of it by the second.

“How do we start?”

Seungmin moved to the edge of the table to reach out for his book, gingerly shrugging away from Hyunjin’s hold of him.

“Let’s take a look at the recipe first,” he answered, turning to the appropriate page. Hyunjin did the same to his own textbook.

Let's just get through this, he thought to himself.

They meticulously went over the list of ingredients. Similar to their dynamic in the archives, Hyunjin was once more the brawn while Seungmin was the brain. Hyunjin gathered the ingredients one by one, while Seungmin dictated exactly what to do with them. Seungmin took care to be precise with his instructions, while Hyunjin listened attentively. Seungmin was delicate with his words and Hyunjin was delicate with his hands. They worked quite well together. Accustomed to each other’s work ethic, they were able to get all that they needed into the pot ahead of everyone else. All that was left to do was to blend, boil, and wait.

"Stir twice clockwise, then once more counterclockwise," Seungmin instructed, watching as Hyunjin manipulated his wand over the pot to do as he was told.

Hyunjin turned to face Seungmin to ask something, but suddenly laughed.

“Why?”

“Wait,” Hyunjin said, touching Seungmin’s arm. “Don’t move.”

To Seungmin’s absolute shock, Hyunjin knelt closer. With Hyunjin's gazed fixed on him, Seungmin’s eyes nervously darted from side to side. Their faces merely inches apart, he found his heart beating like a drum inside his chest. 

Hyunjin reached out a nimble finger to the front of his bangs, as if to pick something.

He pulled back, “You had a tiny rose petal stuck in your hair.”

Seungmin sighed. He told him to focus his attention back to stirring the pot; Hyunjin heeded. They keenly watched and waited as the murky liquid turned into something transparent and pink. 

The love potion was almost ready.

Their textbook mentioned that the love potion’s smell varied from individual to individual. Its aroma was meant to remind the person of what they found most attractive, whether or not they knew it themselves. 

They both leaned in to their cauldron to see if that was true. 

Hyunjin couldn’t smell anything at first, but soon, his nose got a whiff of old books with a hint of dust and wood. 

Seungmin had to inhale a few more times until he caught the fragrance of flowers and trees, and the distinct smell of a river or a pond.

Hyunjin and Seungmin both drew away from the concoction when they realized where they had smelled those things before. 

None of them thought to ask the other what the aroma of their love potion was.

“Mr. Kim! Mr. Hwang! This looks as good as done!” Mr. Park said as he passed by their table.

Seungmin wondered what Mr. Park smelled from their brew to know that the potion was ready.

“Great job you two! As expected,” Mr. Park remarked, looking at both of them cheerfully. He wrote something on the piece of paper he was holding then moved on to the next pair.

Jisung groaned from the other table. He and Jeongin hadn’t even crushed the rose petals yet.

\--------

After class, Seungmin, Jisung, Hyunjin, and Jeongin walked together towards the cafeteria for lunch. It was a first for the 4 of them to come together like this, and Potions was to blame. Jisung and Jeongin were still badgering and tormenting each other for their botched love potion. Mr. Park just barely gave them a passing mark. 

On the other hand, Seungmin and Hyunjin just kept their mouths shut because they received the highest possible grade.

As they entered the hall, the pairs separated at the juncture: one went to the tables in hues of blue, while the other the ones in shades of red. It was in this place where the Stars and the Night, and even the Wind, were separated by their colors.

The reality was, outside of weekly meetings, team-building activities, and rare class assignments, the Prefects still kept to their own groups. Only the more gregarious ones from the team, like Chris and Felix, would sometimes go out of their way to eat with the others. More often than not, the houses still kept to themselves. They stuck to opposite sides of the room like this. Minho beckoned Hyunjin and Jeongin to pick up the pace, while Changbin greeted Seungmin and Jisung as they approached. 

As they parted ways, Seungmin couldn’t help but steal a quick glance at two boys from the house of Night. They joined Minho and their other friends, who were boisterous and lively over their meals. They all greeted Hyunjin and Jeongin cheerfully as he joined them.

Changbin happily moved as Jisung and Seungmin scooted themselves beside him. He was already in the middle of his lunch, eating some fried chicken. Around them, the other students from the house of Stars chatted quietly amongst themselves over books and papers for class. This kind of scene was not uncommon at their table.

As Jisung and Seungmin took their seats, two plates of chicken also magically appeared in front of them, complete with the utensils on either side. The empty glasses also filled themselves with water. Jisung wondered what desert would be, but he would have to finish the chicken first to find out. Wasting food was not allowed. That was how meals were served in Yellow Wood.

Seungmin and Changbin observed how Jisung was stuffing himself more than usual.

“The first match is coming up, isn’t it?” 

During Quidditch season, Jisung always made sure to eat adequately and appropriately so that he would have greater energy for training in the afternoons. He was particularly mindful of his diet and exercise this week because the first Quidditch game of the year was this weekend.

“Who are you up against?” Changbin asked as a follow-up.

Jisung swallowed the food in his mouth before answering.

“Night.”

Seungmin had been occupied with his own meal until he heard Jisung’s answer. 

“What time is it?” Changbin inquired. Seungmin listened intently at the side.

“4 PM,” Jisung replied.

Changbin nodded, “Alright, I’ll be there.”

“Let’s go together.”

Jisung almost choked. Changbin couldn’t hide his surprise. Those words rarely came from Seungmin, more so about a Quidditch game.

“You’re going to watch?” Jisung asked in between coughs.

Seungmin hadn’t been to a Quidditch game since time immemorial. The only memorable instances that he attended was when Jisung played Seeker for the first time and once more when the house of Stars was up for championship. Those were years ago. He just thought that maybe now was the time to change that.

“Why not?”

Both boys stared at him excitedly. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” 

“Finally,” Changbin said. He was now convinced that it was a good choice making Seungmin Prefect. He saw that he had made some progress in the past couple of months. He drank a little now, and even watched Quidditch. He noticed that he smiled a little more these days too.

“Whatever the reason is. I’m all for it,” Jisung said, glad that his introverted best friend was finally taking a step into the outside world.

Seungmin busied himself with eating, embarrassed of the attention.

Changbin smiled to himself quietly at the side. He could tell the reason why he was going. And he knew that it wasn’t just because of Jisung or their house.

  
\--------

The time after lunch flew by quickly. They found themselves from one classroom to another, one hour to the next in a blur. As the final bell of the day stopped ringing, Seungmin watched as Jisung hurriedly left class for practice. He, on the other hand, took his time cleaning up his desk and putting everything in his bag.

Today, like most days, he made his way to the archives to study. The time he spent there also flew by in a flash. Book to book, one topic to another, in a humdrum just like that. Soon after, he received a text from Jisung: training was done and it was time for dinner.

He packed up his belongings. There were no visitors in the archives today, as was the case for a few days now. Not that he was expecting anyone, but he recently became more aware that he spent a lot of time alone. That didn’t disturb him. It was just something he didn’t mind at all until now. 

He made his way to the exit and into the dim hallway. He was used to going to the archives with the afternoon sun peeking through the windows and leaving with the moon shining among the stars as it was now.

As he walked down the corridor, he could hear cheers coming from outside. It seemed that training was not yet done for some Quidditch players. He caught sight of shadows flying around in the night. The players seemed to be just messing around because he knew training to be a serious and focused affair.

“Hwang Hyunjin!” 

Seungmin caught this from the flurry of shouts and jeers coming from the field.

“Go Hwang Hyunjin!” 

This was followed by cheers and howling. 

Just then, a daringly fast figure darted past one of the windows. If Seungmin had blinked, he would’ve missed it.

It was clear to him now that the players were from the house of Night. He could not help but compare. He had seen one of Jisung’s trainings before and the players from their house were usually a little more reserved, but just as tenacious. The Night players just happened to be more accustomed to showing their guile in the game off. 

As Seungmin walked along the darkness of the corridor alone, he became very conscious of how different Star students were from Night students. Nobody liked being stereotyped, but the shoe always seemed to fit. Star students were bookish, while Night students were more bodacious. You would rarely hear a Star student raise his voice, save for Jisung, but it was not unexpected to hear Night students being rowdy with each other as they were now. They were as their ancestors were; scholars kept to themselves while warriors kept with the company of comrades.

He looked at a comparison closer to his heart. 

He and Hyunjin were miles away from each other. Hyunjin was a social butterfly, while Seungmin was a wallflower. One belonged in the field with his friends, while the other liked the company of books in the library. Hyunjin was expressive and intense, while Seungmin never quite mastered the art of expressing himself well. 

The differences didn’t end with just their houses too.

The other was prince-like and pretty, while he always saw himself as plain. Hyunjin was magic, while Seungmin felt that he was just mundane. Everyone saw Hyunjin as a star, while Seungmin found himself blending into the dimness around him. Sure, he was decent in his own way; he just didn’t think he was divine. He never took any offense in that. In life, there were just people who shined and there were also people who watched.

If circumstances had not been what they were now, Seungmin and Hyunjin would not have crossed paths anywhere else. They were worlds apart, the same way the moon and the sun shared the same sky but could not ever touch each other.

Seungmin didn’t need anyone to tell him that. He knew it all too well. He knew it, yet it didn't take away the fact that it felt like poison that slowly and cruelly crawled its way into his heart.


	12. A Game of Quidditch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're close to 20M views with [God's Menu!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQTlCHxyuu8) And because I'm so happy with this comeback and all the other good things that come with it, here's a chapter! I think I'll post another one once we reach the goal of 20M, Stay! <3

Hyunjin was feeling stressed out this week. 

The first Quidditch match of the season was upon them. He always treated Quidditch as a fun activity, but that hasn’t been the case for a while now. His dad taught him how to fly after he had just barely learned to walk, and he enjoyed it. Learning how to fly was one of his best memories as a child. When he entered Yellow Wood, he was hell-bent on becoming part of the Quidditch team and being Seeker. When he finally reached that goal, he was the happiest then. As he got older and got more involved in the game, the fun turned into pressure. To his current self, Quidditch was no longer just a game; it was a battle. It was grit and vigor, with a lot of blood, sweat, and even tears. It was just school Quidditch, so what? The world would have more to offer after this. 

But to Hyunjin now, this was the world he lived in. If there was any place that Hyunjin felt his worth the most, it was in the field.

Now, this should’ve taken up most, if not all of his headspace, but the biggest thing that weighed on his mind wasn’t even related to Quidditch. 

It was the enigma that was Kim Seungmin.

He was starting to suspect that Seungmin had been deliberately evading him for the past few days. 

And he was trying so hard this week too. 

He spoke up more in their weekly meetings with the Head Boys and the other Prefects, hoping he would spare him a glance. He participated and even volunteered in class, something he never did unless he was forced to. He even requested Mr. Park to switch-up the partners for Potions, even just for that day. He also always made sure to say hi to him when they passed by each other in the hallway or the cafeteria. He even intentionally chose the field for Quidditch practice, knowing fully well that it was the field that would be visible from the archives. 

Not once did Seungmin relent. 

If he had done this to anyone else, they would be falling at his feet by now. 

Hyunjin mentally slapped himself for thinking that way. Seungmin wasn’t like everybody else.

He had done everything in the book and even went beyond it. Nothing was working on this guy. This frustrated Hyunjin more than the fact that he had to get the gold in this weekend’s match. The house of Night hated losing most of all, but Hwang Hyunjin hated not getting what he wanted even more.

Now that it was time for the match, Hyunjin made a deal with himself. He was going to stop this madness. If Seungmin was going to avoid him like that, so be it. He won’t do anything anymore. He was done. Right now, he would only think about pursuing the golden snitch and nothing else.

There was only half an hour left until the Quidditch game. He had to get his head in the game. Everyone was hyped up. Students and faculty were flocking the stands in support of their houses. 

Hyunjin always liked this moment before a match; the pandemonium in the audience was his calm before a storm. He could still loosen up a bit now. The game later compelled him to have full focus and attention. He used this time now to relax.

In his Quidditch attire, he peeked at the people from the players’ tent. They couldn’t see him, but he could see them. He watched the crimson-colored crowd; many shades of red glowed from where he was. Like most games, the side of the house of Night was a full house. He immediately recognized Jeongin and Minho’s faces; two people who always sought the frontmost seats. They made sure to make him see their full-support.

There were even several students from the Haven School of Girls, the other wizarding school, in the audience. They also wore something red to show their support for the house of Night. On these rare occasions, the girls from the school were allowed to visit Nami Island all the way from Jeju Island to watch the games. 

He glanced at the side of the house of Stars. Their color was a royal blue; a loud hue yet also subdued, very much like the people who wore the color now. Their crowds were also enthusiastic; just not as enthusiastic as theirs in his opinion. 

He was about to return to the seats where the other players gathered when something made him double back. 

He looked again. 

When he was scanning the crowds the first time, he caught sight of Changbin. That was not a new sight since he was an avid supporter of Quidditch and of Jisung. But he didn’t anticipate that he would also know the person beside him. He strained to see better, and it was undeniable. 

Seungmin was there.

Fine. He didn’t care. He promised himself that he was going to stop. That was the deal.

Hyunjin turned back to go again, but withdrew and returned as he did before. He couldn’t help but peer a second time to make sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him. 

It was clearly Seungmin. He was really there. He had mentioned to him that he never attended Quidditch games; only once or twice during their early years. It was a feat that he would be here now. 

Hyunjin could not have stopped the smile on his face even if he tried. 

Of course he cared.

It was like the feelings of frustration from the days that had gone by disappeared in a snap. Only the fact that he was here now mattered to him. 

He promised himself that he would give Seungmin a good game to watch. 

\--------

That day, the house of Night won the match.

The house of Stars put up a good fight, but Hyunjin fought harder. He and Jisung were constantly at each other’s trails, chasing the snitch. It wasn’t clear who had the advantage up until the last few minutes of the game. The Chasers, Keepers, and Beaters of either team were not letting their guards down either. It seemed like a draw up until Hyunjin had finally caught the snitch in his hand.

Once the winner for the game was announced, the roars from the sea of red grew louder. 

Changbin and Seungmin exchanged glances, understanding what the other meant immediately. They slipped away from the crowd to go to the players’ tents.

When they got there, the Stars’ Quidditch team was having their end-of-game huddle. Brian, their Quidditch captain, was leading the talk. Grace in the face of victory, but also grace in the face of defeat; that was the team’s motto. It was just the first match of the season after all. There were still many chances to win. Brian concluded his speech by putting their hands in and sent off the other players to finally rest for the day. The circle broke off as the players rushed to change or get a drink. They didn’t dwell too much on losses; there was still a paper to finish or an exam to study for or a chapter to read for Monday

Except for one person.

Changbin and Seungmin caught sight of Jisung right away. He made his way to a seat in the corner. He was visibly fatigued. He had been up against his rival after all. Seungmin had not had a chance to see much of Jisung right after a game until today, but he could tell that he was a little disheartened. He masked it with a smile for their sake.

“You did well!” Changbin said, patting him on the shoulder. Jisung flashed the two of them a weak smile.

“You did really really well,” Seungmin chimed, rubbing his back.

“Thank you for being here,” Jisung said, wiping his face with a towel. 

Jisung was fantastic. Changbin and Seungmin were very proud of Jisung for giving it his best. It was obvious too that Brian relied on him a lot. He would’ve been co-captain if that title existed. The title of captain was easily his for the taking next year.

Jisung excused himself momentarily to get some water. Changbin turned to Seungmin.

“I’ll take care of Jisung. You should go congratulate Hyunjin. He worked hard today.”

Seungmin was reluctant to leave his best friend, but Changbin was right. He wasn’t worried about Jisung feeling too bad. In the past week’s meeting, Hyunjin and Jisung taunted each other about the match, but both agreed to give their best; they expected nothing less of each other. Outside of the field, they had become teammates of sorts too. What a development. 

Admittedly, Hyunjin was unstoppable in the game today. Seungmin didn’t have much to compare it with, but it wasn’t too hard to tell that he was giving all of his effort today. The win was well-deserved.

Seungmin mustered his courage and finally decided to make his way to the tent of the house of Night. To his surprise, he crossed paths with Minho just before he left; a flash of red in a crowd of blue. He looked back to see him making his way to where Jisung and Changbin were.

In the victors’ tent, it was pure chaos. Several Night students had already flocked the team to congratulate them. Even students from Haven were there, chatting with some of the players.

Seungmin couldn’t see Hyunjin right away. He only noticed a hound of girls circling a tall figure with a tuft of wet black hair. He knew right away that it was him at the center. Hyunjin was famous for his prince-like looks and his Seeker skills, even outside of Yellow Wood.

Surrounded by delicate girls who offered their delicate hands and delicate smiles, Hyunjin really did seem like a prince. He bowed and thanked them, even accepting some gifts that were being handed to him. 

Seungmin decided to wait for the crowd to dissipate before approaching. He hung back for a while. He didn’t exactly like crowds; it made him feel claustrophobic. Besides, they would have to leave at some point. 

He was wrong though. Somehow, they didn’t. Not for a while. Seungmin was starting to think that the crowd would never disappear. He was also growing impatient waiting. He decided that it might be time to withdraw and turn back. He’ll just message Hyunjin after this to send his congratulations.

“Seungmin!”

Noticing the boy in blue, Hyunjin disentagled himself from the group of girls in front of him. He bid them goodbye as he did, not even paying them another glance much to their disappointment. He hurriedly made his way to Seungmin.

“You watched!” Hyunjin said, excitedly coming up to him.

“You did great. Congratulations,” Seungmin said as jovially as he could.

“Have you been here long?” Hyunjin said, beaming brightly. He was sporting a winner’s smile.

“Not really,” he bluffed.

“You could’ve just called me, I would’ve gone to you right away.”

Seungmin shook his head with a smile, “It’s fine.”

“Are you doing something after this?” Hyunjin inquired, dabbing a towel on the side of this face.

There wasn’t really much point in asking because Hyunjin didn’t give him any time to decide. He wasn’t going to let him get away again.

“Wait for me. I’ll just get changed.”

\-----------

  
Hyunjin told Seungmin that he wanted to show him something. He had the same eager smile as he did on the day they went to the river. After Hyunjin changed into something more comfortable---a maroon sweater and a pair of jeans---he beckoned Seungmin to go with him to the Quidditch field. By now, the crowds were long gone, save for a couple of players from either side who couldn’t wait to leave.

Now that it was just the two of them, Hyunjin noticed what Seungmin was wearing. He was in a baby blue sweater complete with a white collared shirt underneath. Hyunjin laughed. He found it endearing how he looked more like he was going to the library than watching a game. He wondered if all of Seungmin’s clothes were like that. 

“Have you ever been a Seeker?”

Seungmin shook his head. His only memory of Quidditch was for a practical exam in their 2nd year so it didn’t count. He couldn’t even recall his position in the team that day, but he was sure that it wasn’t Seeker. After that, he never set foot on a Quidditch field again. 

“Let’s play.”

Hyunjin threw him one of the extra brooms from their team and grabbed his own in his other hand. Seungmin caught it with a look of consternation on his face.

“Wait,” Hyunjin said. He knelt down and took something from his bag, which laid on the grass beside his feet.

He handed Seungmin his extra Quidditch jersey. He didn’t want Seungmin to mess up his sweater. 

The look of shock from the initial proposal hadn’t left Seungmin’s face yet. Now he was going to wear something of Hyunjin’s too. It even had his name written at the back. 

Seungmin reluctantly received it, the broom on his other hand. 

Hyunjin laughed, “You look scared.” 

“No, I’m not,” Seungmin retorted, defensively. As shy as he was, he didn’t like being called scared. 

He laid the broom on the ground momentarily. He took off his baby blue sweater, leaving only his white collared shirt, and wore Hyunjin’s shirt over it. It fit him snuggly. He could smell its freshly laundered scent and something that seemed to be distinctly and pleasantly Hyunjin’s. He neatly folded his own sweater and placed it on the clean side of the bleachers. 

Hyunjin looked back at Seungmin wearing the Hwang and the number 20 on his back. His jersey never looked better.

Seungmin took the broom off the ground, feeling conscious of Hyunjin's gaze.

“Let’s play.”

Hyunjin flashed him a look of satisfaction. He seemed to be winning a lot today. He prayed that his streak wasn’t going to end. 

He unlocked the case where they placed the quaffle, the bludgers, and the snitch for training. He took the golden snitch from where it was kept. It unfurled its wings at the touch of his fingers. He took his own broom from the grass and let the snitch go. It didn’t hesitate to flit around erratically around the field. It was so swift, Seungmin could barely see where it was. 

“Watch,” Hyunjin said, mounting his broom and flying off. 

Seungmin watched, amazed. Trailing the snitch seemed to be second nature to Hyunjin already. His years and years of playing were paying off. And Seungmin wasn’t just amazed at his pursuit of the golden snitch. It was also the fact that he did it beautifully. Hyunjin had long hair and it flowed with the wind as he flew, unbothered. 

The golden sunset, the golden boy, and the golden snitch; it was a picture worth a thousand words.

Within minutes and with no Beaters and Chasers in his way, the Seeker caught the snitch quickly.

“Easy enough, right?” Hyunjin said, descending to where Seungmin was. He flashed the snitch before his eyes.

Hyunjin knew that Seungmin loved challenges, more so, conquering them. Quidditch was as much a mental game as it was a physical game. He knew that it would fit Seungmin well; Seungmin himself just didn’t know it yet.

Seungmin took a deep breath. He mounted the broom as Hyunjin did. 

“Ready?” 

“Yes,” Seungmin answered, levitating in front of him.

Hyunjin let the snitch escape from his grasp. It didn’t hold back on Seungmin, fluttering away as fast as it could. 

Seungmin never took his eyes off it. He flew forward immediately when it left Hyunjin’s hand. He pursued it with unrelenting focus. Seungmin was used to endeavors that required his time and concentration. What he was doing now left no space for either of that. He couldn’t pace around or spend a few quiet moments alone to think of the solution. He had to act as things came. It was sheer grit and luck. 

It felt refreshing.

Seungmin and the snitch were head to head with the snitch having just a slight advantage. It was almost always just at the edge of his fingers. 

It took him a couple more tries and a couple more minutes compared to Hyunjin, but he finally caught the snitch.

Once it was in his grasp, Seungmin couldn’t contain his happiness. It had been a while since he felt this exhilarated.

As he held the snitch like that, only then did he realize that he flew quite an altitude. Distracted by the feeling of triumph, his flight and control became unstable. He struggled to keep his balance on the broom. 

Even from afar, Hyunjin saw this right away and got on his broom at a moment’s notice. He never took his eyes off Seungmin the second he left the ground. He rushed to the boy as he sputtered and stumbled downward. Hyunjin caught him by the arm fast enough for both of them to land safely albeit sloppily on the field.

“Are you okay? Are you okay?” Hyunjin said, frenzied. He was beginning to regret this idea. 

Seungmin didn’t say anything so he crept closer to get a better look. Was he injured?

To his utter surprise, the other boy was laughing.

“I caught it!” Seungmin said, full of glee.

Hyunjin let out a sigh of relief, collapsing on the grass. This could’ve had dire consequences if he had been just a second late.

Hyunjin looked up at the sky and then at Seungmin, who was just like the sky. He let his heart calm down from the scare, but it also refused to calm down for a different reason. He couldn’t help but marvel as Seungmin laid there on the grass laughing, the snitch still in his clutches. Seungmin’s laugh was really something. Hyunjin wanted to compare it to many other things that were charming, but his favorite was likening it to sunshine. It warmed his heart like that. 

They were in an awkward position right now. The sky was getting dim as the sun had started to set. The grass beneath them was a little wet and uncomfortable. They were both flustered from the near-fall, dirt on their faces. Seungmin was right beside Hyunjin, without any kind of regard for space or boundaries.

But Hyunjin wouldn’t have had it any other way. He liked being close to him like this.

“Did you see? I caught it---”

Seungmin had been busy celebrating his little success, he only noticed Hyunjin now.

Hyunjin was looking at him with something that he found difficult to read and recognize. Seungmin was well-read and he knew a myriad of words, but he couldn’t pick one from his extensive vocabulary for it. 

The closest word he could think of was longing.

It wasn’t that cold in the field, but his lips suddenly felt frozen.

“I think like you.”

Hyunjin wasn’t even thinking when the words escaped from his own mouth. He was shocked, but his chest somehow felt lighter. It was as if something that had been fighting to get out finally freed itself from the cage that was his heart.

Longing was the right word.

Seungmin laid there, not saying anything. A second passed like an eternity. The longer it did, the more Hyunjin felt that he had done something wrong.

The snitch flitted in Seungmin’s hand. This was what snapped him back to reality. 

As it flew away from him, he also drew away from Hyunjin. 

“I think I have to go,” he stuttered, hurriedly getting up. Hyunjin could only stumble back and let him. 

Seungmin ran from the field without another thought and without another glance. He forgot all about his sweater and Hyunjin’s jersey.

Hyunjin laid there alone, in disbelief of what had just transpired. He watched as the number 20 grew smaller and smaller in the distance. 

He didn’t plan for any of this. He just wanted to show Seungmin some Quidditch.

They won the match today, but why did it feel like he was the one who lost?


	13. Roommates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We reached 20 M, Stay! Here's another chapter for you! <3
> 
> Now let's get the boys their first win for this comeback!!!

To Hyunjin, the weekend felt like an eternity. 

The house of Night was full of celebration and cheer because of their first win, but Hyunjin could not feel any sense of celebration and cheer at all. He didn’t skip the festivities---He couldn't, being the star of the match---but it went against every cell of his body. The smile that touched his face did not touch his soul even just a little. He dragged his feet to the dinner party and dragged his body to bed after. The soreness that he felt in his muscles were nothing compared to the soreness of the muscle that was his heart. His body nor his heart weren’t letting him forget about what happened in the field.

He stayed in for most of Sunday; a rarity. He couldn’t escape the foreboding feeling that he had just ruined something good. Although it was all uncertain, he was certain that not knowing the consequences hurt. 

How could he know? 

Seungmin did not contact him at all after that. He thought of messaging him, but ultimately decided against it. In a fit of despair, he thought of running to the house of Stars to call out to him, but he restrained himself. It felt like anything that he did now would just make the situation worse. He couldn’t do anything but wait and he didn’t even know what he was waiting for. That pained him the most.

And so he slept on it and wept on it and just hoped that Monday would be better.

Today was finally Monday. That meant another weekly meeting with the Head Boys and Prefects. That meant that he was finally going to see Seungmin again. He hung on the threshold between wanting it and dreading it. 

He hesitated by the door of the classroom where they usually met. 

“What are you still doing there? We’re going to be late,” Minho said, pulling him right into the doorway as he went in himself.

It seemed that the universe wasn’t going to wait for him to decide where exactly he stood. 

He glanced around the room. Like the past mornings, the Star students were the earliest ones there. Seungmin sat further at the back from his housemates. He didn’t even look up when Hyunjin entered. 

“Alright, it looks like everyone’s here,” Chris said, giving the room a quick scan. “Hyunjin, please close the door behind you.”

Hyunjin didn’t process Chris’ words right away. It took him a second later to realize what he had been told to do. 

“Looks like someone needs coffee,” Minho said, chuckling at his friend. 

Slightly embarrassed, Hyunjin sat in the center and frontmost seat. A part of him wondered if that person at the back noticed. 

Usually, he’d pick a seat closer to the side, but this morning was different. The Prefects from the house of Night were going to make an announcement. But before that, they had to go over the usual agenda. When that was out of the way, Chris sat down and gestured for Minho to speak.

“The month is almost up and that means that we’ll be having our next team-building soon,” Minho announced, taking the floor from Chris.

“Hyunjin, can you tell us more about it?” Jeongin chimed. 

It was indeed time for the next team-building activity, and the house of Night was calling the shots for this one. The school was going to have its week-long vacation soon so the timing couldn’t have been better. Right before midterms, students always had an entire week off. It was a semestral break. They could do whatever they want: go on trips with their friends, visit their families, sleep in the dorms all day, or study in the library all week. The students from the house of Night wanted to invite everyone to take a weekend from the week-long break for a once in a blue moon camping trip.

All of that didn’t come out of his mouth as smoothly as Hyunjin had thought.

It was very unlike him. Hyunjin never stuttered, but when he spoke, he was stumbling over his words a lot. These things had been prepared by the three of them since a week ago. Hyunjin knew everything down to the last detail. It didn’t appear that way. Minho and Jeongin worriedly looked at him from their periphery.

The prince didn't look much like a prince right now. 

The delivery definitely could’ve been better but everyone got the point. That was what mattered.

Jeongin took the lead from there, slightly relieved that Hyunjin was finally done talking. 

“We already have a tent picked out, but the thing is, it only has 4 rooms. That means, we’ll all be having roommates.”

Minho plucked out his phone from his pocket and gave it to Jeongin. He read their names from the screen, pair by pair.

“Chris and Jeongin.”

The wolf and the fox, who also happened to be the eldest and the youngest in the team, exchanged smiles.

“Felix and Changbin.” 

Felix seemed surprised. He and Changbin hadn’t had a chance to bond yet.

“Jisung and me.”

Jisung was pleased. He had grown fond of Minho in the past few months.

“And the last one, Hyunjin and Seungmin.”

Hyunjin already knew that this was coming. The pairs were supposedly random, but the truth was, Hyunjin fought Minho tooth and nail so that he would make him and Seungmin roommates. They did this a week ago. How was he supposed to know that things would change over the weekend?

Hyunjin flashed Seungmin a smile from across the room.

Seungmin weakly mustered what appeared to be a smile.

As the meeting came to a close, everyone cajoled with their roommates, save for Seungmin who quietly left the room. Hyunjin thought of calling out to him, but he stopped himself. It was too late.

Hyunjin had been really looking forward to the camping trip since the three of them decided on it. Right now, he was no longer sure if that was still the case.

\--------

After everyone else left the meeting room, Jisung pulled Minho to the side. He deliberately waited until the two of them were alone. He handed him what seemed to be a folded red cloth. Minho realized later on that it was a Quidditch jersey from their house.

Minho knew whose it was right away. He had noticed Hyunjin’s change in demeanor last Saturday. It wasn’t very Hyunjin-like to turn in early after a win. Usually, he ate a lot and spoke a lot until the wee hours. He wasn’t going to prompt him about it, but it seemed that Hyunjin needed someone to talk to. His friend had always been an open book, at least to him. Hyunjin unfurled the moment Minho asked. 

Minho accepted the jersey from Jisung, wordless.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what this is about?” Jisung said as Minho kept the jersey inside his bag. 

“I don’t think it’s either of our stories to tell,” Minho said nonchalantly. He knew everything that happened and it looked like Jisung did too. They each held their own friend’s pieces of the story, but it wasn’t their job to reconcile it for them.

“I swear I think I’ll end up fighting with that guy again,” Jisung said in something that resembled a growl.

Minho glared at him, “Don’t. I know you’re tempted to get involved, but don’t. Let them handle this in their own terms and at their own time.”

Jisung groaned. He just couldn’t forget the memory of last weekend. 

He was on his bed relaxing after a long day and a hard match. He just enjoyed a good meal with Minho and Changbin too. The food more than made up for the fact that they lost. It gave him a stronger resolve for the next game too. He was just going to have to try harder next time. He promised himself and his house a win. With his stomach full, the momentary hole in his chest had also been filled. It was a good day after all.

Imagine Jisung’s shock when Seungmin barged into their room flustered and breathless, wearing a Quidditch jersey from another house with the name Hwang plastered at the back.

The first thing he thought about was cursing, but when he noticed how agitated Seungmin looked, he restrained himself. When Seungmin told him about what happened, with some difficulty, he didn’t know what to say. 

And so he didn’t say anything. It wouldn’t change things even if he tried. What he did instead was to get Seungmin out of that guy’s jersey right away.

“I know you want to protect Seungmin, but we both know he’s much stronger than he looks. Let him fight his own battles,” Minho said, softening his tone. He patted Jisung on the shoulder. 

That seemed to calm him down. 

Hyunjin and Seungmin’s relationship with each other was their own business, the same way Hyunjin and Jisung’s previously strained one was theirs alone. Jisung let it go for now.

They were just going to have to wait and see.

\--------

Classes ended an hour ago and Minho was on his way to a patch of forest in the school grounds. 

Students from Yellow Wood weren’t allowed to bring their own pets to school, but there were creatures that roamed parts of the island as it is. Minho loved seeing them around, free and unrestrained. One of his favorites were the cats that the groundskeeper took care of. The cats liked to stay in a meadow full of flowers. Minho usually found them there sleeping or playing with each other. That was his happy place.

More often than not, Minho had the place alone. Today, he didn't. Someone was waiting for him. It seemed that Jisung wasn’t the only one who wanted to speak to him that day.

“Hi Minho,” Seungmin said, looking up at him as he approached the meadow. Seungmin was leaning against a tree, a book in hand.

His presence seemed to be in demand to Star students, Minho thought.

“Seungmin, what are you doing here?” Minho said, petting one of the cats nearby. Another cat rubbed itself on his leg.

Seungmin closed the book he was holding.

“Jisung told me you’d be here. I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“What is it?” Minho asked, picking up one of the cats from the ground. It nestled itself in his arms, familiar with his touch and scent.

“I know you prepared a lot for the camping trip so I wanted to tell you this myself.” Seungmin said, reluctance in his tone. “I won’t be able to go next week. I have to do something that weekend.”

“Oh? Are you sure? It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Minho wasn’t sure if he was surprised or if he expected this.

Seungmin nodded, “Yes, unfortunately.”

Minho frowned at him.

“I already told Changbin and Chris about this, so you have nothing to worry about,” Seungmin added.

Minho paused, “How about Hyunjin?” 

Seungmin tried to disguise the apprehension in his eyes but he saw right through it. 

“He is your roommate.”

Seungmin hesitated before responding. He hoped that he wouldn’t be asked something like that.

“Would it be alright if you let him know?”

So that’s the reason why. Minho thought so.

“I’ll let him know,” Minho said, giving Seungmin a gentle and reassuring smile. “I hope you change your mind, Seungmin. We all want you to be there. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“I know. I’m really sorry,” he replied.

“I’ll still send you the details. I’ll let you know exactly where we’ll be. If you finish what you’re doing early, consider going. We’ll be waiting for you.”

The cat purred in Minho’s arms.

Seungmin nodded and smiled, “Thank you, Minho. I’ll try my best.”

Seungmin left afterwards, leaving the Head Boy to his thoughts and his cats. 

Minho really didn’t want to get involved with whatever was going on between those two, but now it seemed like it was his job.

The next thing to do was to tell Hyunjin.


	14. Stars and Stories

After hearing the news from Minho, it took Hyunjin a whole week before coming to a decision about what to do. Or if he was even going to do anything about it. He spent the first few days mulling over his own feelings.

At first he was angry. How could Seungmin do this? 

Then he became sad. Why would he do this? If he didn’t feel the same way, why didn’t he just tell him straight up? Why did he have to do this?

Finally, he felt hurt. Even more so than he already did. He really couldn’t understand why he was being like this. So he just stopped asking.

He started to avoid Seungmin too. He kept his head down in class. He focused on himself or his friends when he walked in hallways and in the cafeteria. He kept silent during the meeting that week. He didn’t want to face Seungmin. Not yet.

The camping trip was drawing near, a mere 3 days from now. He was running out of time.

If he persevered as he did now, nothing was going to happen. He’d be running away from the situation. He’d be running away exactly like how Seungmin was. 

He didn’t want to be like that.

It was time to talk to him.

Hyunjin told their Quidditch team’s captain that he wouldn’t be attending practice today, much to his dismay. He said he had something to do for school; he got a pass because of that. He knew that that was a lie. What he actually did was trail Seungmin after class. He had to know where exactly he was going to be so that they could finally talk. He did this stealthily because if Seungmin knew, he would find a way to avoid him for sure. 

It seemed Seungmin was on his usual route today, towards the archives. Hyunjin followed him close behind, a few spaces apart to avoid being noticed. He waited a few minutes after he saw Seungmin enter when he quietly entered himself. Like always, it was just the two of them in the archives. Seungmin couldn’t run away from him now. If he tried to, he’d do everything to stop him.

Hyunjin knew right away which desk Seungmin would choose and he waited along the aisle right behind it. He could hear the sound of pen on paper. He kept quiet for a while, not wanting Seungmin to know of his presence. He needed some time to think about what he was going to say. He rehearsed this in his mind a hundred times before, but nothing ever sounded right. He ultimately decided that maybe there wasn’t a single right answer for this and he was just going to have to do it to find out. 

From acting like a shadow in the dark, Hyunjin suddenly made it distinctly obvious that he was in his hiding spot. He coughed. He paced around. He took the books and dropped them, then returned them again on the shelf. Seungmin was going to have to check what it was.

Still, Seungmin didn’t come out. 

He had to be doing this on purpose now.

If he was going to be like this, Hyunjin had no other choice. He took a deep breath and decided to walk up to where he was instead.

“You knew I was there all along, didn’t you?” 

Seungmin looked up with an unreadable expression on his face. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Seungmin stood up and walked past Hyunjin. So _now_ he stands up?

Hyunjin followed him to one of the shelves.

“Minho told me that you won’t be going on the camping trip,” Hyunjin said. He tried not to sound accusing but that was exactly how he sounded like.

“Yes, I won’t be going,” Seungmin said, matter-of-factly.

“Why?”

“I have to do something that weekend.”

“Why?”

“I just am.” 

Hyunjin rolled his eyes, “Bullshit. What are you going to do? Read? You have a whole week and you can’t even take two days off?” 

Hyunjin initially planned to do this calmly but Seungmin was making that difficult. He was having none of it today. He had been patient enough these past few weeks.

“I have to study,” Seungmin said, calm but dismissive.

“Bullshit. We both know that’s not the reason.”

He couldn’t hide the resentment from his voice. He wasn’t going to hold back. Not anymore.

“I’ll be the one to step back. You go on and attend,” Hyunjin taunted.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Seungmin scoffed.

“Isn’t that what you want?”

Seungmin busied himself by reading the titles of the books, not even facing Hyunjin once. 

“I told you, I have to study,” he said again, with finality this time. 

Hyunjin glared at him. He felt like a wall because Seungmin was giving him no regard at all.

“You know, if you’re mad at me, say it. Just don’t pretend like nothing happened.”

“Nothing did happen. This is just how I usually am,” Seungmin answered, his eyes still on the titles in front of him.

Hyunjin wanted to say ‘bullshit’ again, but stopped himself. He exhaled, “Just tell me that I was wrong.”

“There’s nothing to be wrong about. There’s nothing to talk about. This is just how I usually am,” Seungmin said, finally glancing at Hyunjin, but only to walk past him to another section of the shelf. 

Hyunjin continued to trail him.

“Why are you being like this?”

“This is how I usually am,” Seungmin said, in the same tone as before.

Hyunjin shook his head in frustration. For someone well-read and well-versed in words, Seungmin said the same ones over and over again. 

“Is that all you know how to say? We both know this isn’t you.”

Seungmin chuckled, like what he had just said was a joke. It sounded so harsh to Hyunjin’s ears. 

“How would you know? We’ve only known each other for a couple of months.”

Hyunjin was appalled. It felt like a cold, hard slap in the face. Seungmin was facing away from him. Hyunjin knew that if he had seen his expression, it would’ve felt much worse.

“Just tell me that I was wrong. Call me out on it. Get angry, but don’t be like this,” Hyunjin almost begged. He wanted to break out in anger, but his voice was breaking instead.

“I told you, there’s nothing to talk about,” Seungmin said, turning to him with a smile on his face. It was too genteel to be genuine. He took a quick glance at his watch, “Aren’t you supposed to be in practice right now?” 

Hyunjin felt like he was going crazy. 

“What do you need me to do? Do you want me to say sorry? What do you want me to do? I’ll do it. Just don’t be like this.”

Seungmin took a deep breath. He slowly faced Hyunjin.

“Why are you so intent on proving that this isn’t me? Don’t you understand? This _is_ me. And _that_ is you,” he said, motioning at himself and then at Hyunjin. 

“That, out there. Not here. Not with me.”

The last three words felt like daggers.

“What are you saying? I’m right here. I am here,” Hyunjin said, taking long strides towards Seungmin.

Seungmin wasn’t prepared when Hyunjin charged towards him. The book he had been holding fell out of his hands. It reached the floor with a loud thud. Hyunjin didn’t care. He cornered Seungmin in one section of the shelf, his hands on either side of his face. He really couldn’t take how Seungmin was being and he was going to shake the answer out of him if he had to. He was so close, their faces were almost touching. Hyunjin looked at him intently and intensely. Seungmin couldn’t run away from him now.

Seungmin closed his eyes, avoiding his gaze as much as possible. He opened his eyes for a second, but never met Hyunjin’s.

“Stop this.”

“Push me away,” Hyunjin provoked.

“Stop.”

“Push. Me. Away.”

Seungmin kept silent.

Hyunjin’s tone softened, “Don’t you see that I _want_ to be here?”

His tone was filled with longing, but different from the kind of longing that he held in his eyes before. It was a hunger for an answer; a thirst for some truth. Things that Seungmin was depriving him of.

A second seemed so long before either of them spoke again.

Seungmin finally looked at Hyunjin but only for a brief moment.

“Hyunjin, don’t you get it? I don’t want you to be.”

He said it in a voice that seemed so little, it felt so far away. After he said those words, he turned away from him again.

From saying nothing at all, to saying so much of what they both needed to hear, to saying the words they never thought would come from each other, the two of them have come a long way. 

How did they get to this point?

Hyunjin breathed and broke. He could feel Seungmin’s own breath tremble so close to him like that. He tried to remain calm but he could not deny that he was crushed. 

They remained as they were; Hyunjin staring right at Seungmin and Seungmin turning away from him. Seungmin had once made him feel like he could see him, but now he didn’t even want to spare him a glance.

“I didn’t know you could be this cruel,” Hyunjin said, in the tone of someone who had already given everything in that moment and could give no more.

“Then you don’t know me at all.”

Hyunjin felt that it was finally time to take a step away from Seungmin. He gave him one final look, dejected. He turned on his heel and left, his footsteps echoing throughout the vast archives. He stopped himself from going back even when he thought about it so many times. He walked and walked until he was as far away as his feet could take. Only then did he let his knees crumble. Only then did he weep. 

He finally understood what Seungmin meant by fantasy.

Back in the archives, Seungmin was left alone at last. Just as he wanted. Just as he said. 

Among a million stars and a million stories, Seungmin shattered into a million pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I broke my own heart writing this chapter...
> 
> Listened to Phobia the whole time I was writing this too! Imagine the pain!


	15. Astronaut

“Good night everyone.”

Astronomy class had just ended. This was one of the few classes they Yellow Wood students had in the evening and one of Jisung’s favorites. It amazed him how they got graded just by looking up at the breathtaking night sky and the beautiful stars that came with it. He felt like his worries flew away to the clouds after a class. He and Seungmin always lingered in the tower long after everyone else had left just to watch the sky a bit more.

Tonight seemed like the perfect night to do just that.

“Jisung, can I ask you something?

Jisung and Seungmin stayed back after class again. It was just the two of them and the night sky now. 

“Of course.”

Seungmin hesitated before speaking, “Have you ever liked anyone before?”

That wasn’t the type of question he usually heard from Seungmin. Their topic of conversation usually revolved around school and stress, their families and friends, but not this. Nothing like this until now.

“Hmm, I guess I have.” 

I guess I do, Jisung thought. He pictured a guy in maroon who had a funny fondness for cats and who always seemed to have a cheeky smile on his face. That was the first time he admitted that to himself. It perplexed him, but also pleased him. 

“How does it make you feel?”

Jisung pondered, “I guess, it’s nice? Like it’s never a dull day if you know you’ll be seeing that person. Like there’s always something to look forward to. Like there’s always something to smile about.”

He had always been unhindered about these things. Let the heart feel what it feels; that’s what he believed in. The person beside him, on the other hand, relied too much on his head. He had been neglecting his heart far too long, it was sabotaging him now. 

“Does it _always_ feel nice?”

“I guess not.”

“Why?”

Jisung contemplated.

“I guess it doesn’t feel too nice when it’s unrequited. Or unwanted. Or worse, when you do like each other and it’s perfect, but the world wants to tear you apart. I think that’s the most painful of all.”

Seungmin nodded. He didn’t seem to be any of those things, but why did it hurt this much?

Jisung exhaled. He knew what this was about. Seungmin had not said anything about it for the past couple of days, but it showed on his face. Even if he remained mum about it, it was clear that it affected him. He could see it. Changbin could see it. Jisung felt relieved that he was finally opening up to him now. 

He faced Seungmin in the darkness.

“How do you really feel about him, Seungmin?” Jisung asked, his tone taking on a more serious note.

Seungmin didn’t know what to say. “I don’t know,” was all he could muster.

“Why didn’t you just tell him that?”

Seungmin said the same response.

“If you don’t like him, just say it. It’s okay. If you’re worried about him getting hurt, don’t worry. He’ll get over it,” Jisung reassured him.

Seungmin didn’t say anything.

“What’s stopping you, Seungmin?” Jisung asked again. He strained to keep his voice soft and steady, not wanting Seungmin to feel that he was being interrogated. He was fully aware that the moment he did that, Seungmin would close up like a clam.

Jisung was expecting another bout of silence but Seungmin had more to say.

“We’re so different. We’re so far apart,” Seungmin said, looking up at how far away they were from the stars. At the top of the tower, it felt like you could touch the galaxies up ahead. But that was nothing but an illusion. He could reach out to them but his fingers would always end up empty.

“So?”

“He’s miles away from me,” Seungmin said quietly.

“So?” Jisung said again, with more emphasis than the first. 

“That’s not even true. _You’re_ miles away from him.”

Seungmin chuckled, “I don’t think that’s what everyone else sees.”

“Why do you care so much about them? What about what you see? What about what you think? What about what you feel?”

Seungmin gave him silence.

Jisung could tell what Seungmin’s feelings were, but it didn’t look like Seungmin was ready to recognize them himself. He was far too blinded by the fact that Hyunjin was up there among the stars, while he was down here, a million light years away. He wanted to tell him to be like an astronaut; to not be scared of the stars. He had nothing to be afraid of.

“I wish you could see what I, Hyunjin, and everyone else can see clearly. You are so much more than what you make yourself out to be. You’re the brightest star I know.”

Seungmin wasn’t used to sharing his worries. He was almost always the one who listened to other people’s worries. He always felt that he was better at that. Now that he was sharing it to Jisung, he was beginning to realize that he couldn’t solve everything by his own sheer will. He couldn’t do everything just by himself. He was confident with matters that required his mental strength, but he cowered when it came to matters of the heart. He needed help with that. He could see that now.

“No one’s pushing you to know how you feel right now. You don’t have to know. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s his fault for bulldozing you with his feelings,” Jisung remarked, with a little spite at the end.

He smiled and squeezed Seungmin with one arm, “Take it easy. Take it slow. No pressure.”

Jisung couldn’t see well in the darkness, but Seungmin also smiled weakly.

“Besides, it’s good that you’re hard to get. You’re anything but easy. He should know that by now,” Jisung said, lightening the mood that had turned somber.

Seungmin couldn’t help but laugh a little at that. It had been days since he genuinely laughed too. 

“Join us on the trip. If you don’t want to be in the same room as him, I’ll switch. Don’t be there for him. Be there for Changbin and me. Be there for the rest of the team,” Jisung said. He kept Seungmin in the one-arm hug and leaned his head on his shoulder. 

Seungmin smiled. He looked up at the sky and then at the stars. They seemed to shine a little brighter tonight.

\--------

Before long, the day everyone had been waiting for finally arrived. It was the start of the break and the weekend of the camping trip.

All 7 of them got to the campsite early. Right off the bat, Minho delegated tasks. The first pair, Felix and Changbin, had to gather wood for the campfire. Meanwhile, Chris and Jeongin had to hunt for some food; fitting for the more feral ones in the group. Minho and Jisung, on the other hand, had to look for some edible plants in the forest around them. Lastly, Hyunjin had to put up the tent. It was supposed to be a two-person job with Seungmin, but he wasn’t there. 

The boys from the house of Night planned for this to be as authentic as possible. They were going to introduce the rest of the boys to how the Night were like in battle. Survival was the best way to foster camaraderie. No one was allowed to bring food from outside, save for some water and the bottles of alcohol that Jeongin had stored in his backpack. The night wouldn’t be complete without a little intoxication. They rarely got to drink too so they took every chance that they could get.

While everyone else broke off into pairs, Hyunjin was left all alone in the campsite. It was the first time ever that he was going to put up a tent. He wasn’t sure if his magic could handle it. There was also no one he could charm who could help him.

_Kim Seungmin, you_

He sighed. He was just making an excuse to think of him again. He shrugged off his thoughts and got right to work. He simply just had to try. 

Hyunjin began to recite the incantation and waved his wand as the instructions said.

He did this for over an hour, over a hundred times, with no visible results. The tent was still a heap of cloth on the ground. The others would be arriving soon and he could already imagine their disgruntled faces. He was at the brink of giving up; the tent simply wasn’t taking the form he wanted. How were they supposed to have a camp out without a tent? 

He let out a groan in frustration. 

He seemed to be frustrated a lot these days.

“Do you need help with that?”

Hyunjin turned around to the sound of a soft and shy voice.

Seungmin gave him a simper. Hyunjin looked at him without saying anything, surprised more than anything else. 

How did he always find a way to catch him off guard like that?

Seungmin walked towards the campsite and laid his backpack on the ground. He took the instructions from Hyunjin’s hand and scanned it. He contemplated the instructions carefully before drawing his wand from his pocket.

Seungmin recited the same incantation that Hyunjin had heard from himself so many times, the words sounded like gibberish. The tent seemed to let up a little, but fell once more in a bundle.

It seemed that Minho chose for it to be a job for two people for a reason.

“Let’s do it together?” Seungmin said, turning sideways towards Hyunjin. It was Hyunjin who avoided his glance now.

“Okay.”

They tried the spell again and the tent seemed to rise as it should, then proceeded to tumble down once more. 

“A little more. We can do it.”

They did it again, with a little more vigor this time. Finally, the tent seemed to heed them. It rose and rose, listening to each syllable of the spell. 

Slowly but surely, it took the shape of an actual tent. 

The two couldn’t help but smile at the finished product. They were still reluctant to do the same to each other.

“Seungmin!”

The shout made both of them turn. Felix came running up to them, dropping the bundle of wood in his hands as he did. Changbin shook his head at the mess, but beamed at Seungmin.

“You made it!” Felix said, pulling Seungmin into a warm hug. He pouted, “I was really sad when Chris told me you weren’t going. I’m so happy you’re here.”

Hyunjin watched them at the side. A tinge of jealousy dawning on him. He wished he could do that.

“You’re here!” Jeongin said, arriving with Chris from the other side. He charged at Seungmin as Felix did. He and Chris seemed to have placed their game into mokeskin pouches beforehand. The image wouldn’t be an easy sight to take in for most of the boys. 

Minho and Jisung were the last pair to get back to the campsite. They both smiled as they caught sight of Seungmin with the other boys.

“You spoke to him?” Minho asked

Jisung nodded. He was really glad that Seungmin listened. 

Minho smiled a big smile.

“Now we can really have fun on this trip.”


	16. Phobia

After all 8 of them had gathered together, Chris once more split the groups into two: those who could cook and those who could not. They could very well use magic to cook and prepare the food, but even that required a particular set of skills that not everyone had mastered. The task was an even bigger challenge with a freshly-hunted game and freshly-picked ingredients. It was not going to be an easy job. Only Chris, Felix, Minho, and Jeongin were well-versed in kitchen magic. The rest of them, as excellent as they were in other spells, were nearly useless in the kitchen. 

The tent the Night boys got was quite spacious. There was a roomy kitchen, a spacious living room, and a hallway that led to the 4 rooms. Even the rooms didn’t save on space. There was ample area for the mess that they would be making tonight. That much was expected, more so when they looked back on the events of the party from a month ago.

While the 4 chefs got busy, the other 4 made themselves useful by arranging the common area inside the tent. They brought tables and chairs to the trip so that they could have a sort of living room set-up where everyone could gather later in the night. 

“Jisung and Hyunjin, why don’t the two of you bring out the chairs? Seungmin and I will take care of setting up the table,” Changbin said, taking the role of the leader for this quartet.

For the first time ever, Jisung didn’t complain about working with Hyunjin. He and Changbin exchanged looks and knew exactly what the other wanted to say. Despite being in the same place and the same team, Seungmin and Hyunjin were still dodging each other.

“Alright, Hyunjin. Let’s go,” Jisung said cordially. 

Hyunjin was fully-aware that Changbin and Jisung were on the agenda to protect Seungmin. From him.

Hyunin and Jisung separated themselves from the other pair and proceeded to drag the chairs out of the mokeskin pouches. They still could not help but treat as if being with each other was a chore; a force of habit. Jisung was expecting that he and Hyunjin wouldn’t be talking at all like how they were when they bought the bottles of alcohol for the party. He didn't bother engaging him in conversation.

It looked like Hyunjin was thinking otherwise.

“Jisung, I have a question,” Hyunjin said in a low voice.

“If it’s about Quidditch, don’t even think about it,” Jisung warned. 

Hyunjin rolled his eyes, “It’s not.”

“Then what?”

“How’s Seungmin?” Hyunjin asked, cautious.

Jisung didn’t respond. He fell silent instead, suddenly very engaged in arranging the chairs meticulously. Hyunjin was starting to despise the habit of the Star boys of avoiding questions that way.

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” he finally replied. His tone was as quiet as Hyunjin’s.

Hyunjin thought for a second, “I’m not sure he wants to hear from me.”

“Have you tried?”

He shook his head. 

Hyunjin had been far too angry, far too sad, far too hurt, and far too confused to think of anything else. He had not had much peach of mind recently. He threw himself into Quidditch and nothing else. Even that reminded him of the gaping hole in his heart. When he saw Seungmin today, he felt like a wave washed over him. What has he been doing this whole time?

For the first time since they fought, Jisung used a mellow tone to speak to him, “You underestimate how forgiving Seungmin is. That person doesn’t hold any grudges. Not at all. His soul is too pure for that.”

Hyunjin didn’t know what else to say after. 

He had been drowning so much in his own desolation lately, he nearly forgot how Seungmin was the epitome of what was honest and good. He was being so selfish. Maybe he was wrong to confront him like that. Maybe he inadvertently hurt him in that situation too. Maybe he wasn’t the only one hurting this whole time. 

The thought of hurting Seungmin sickened him to his very core.

As he turned to face Jisung, he was surprised to see a small smile on the other boy’s face. That was also a first. 

“You should talk to him.”

“I’m sorry,” Hyunjin found himself saying. He was sorry to hurt someone that mattered to the both of them a lot.

“I’m not the one who needs to hear it.”

Hyunjin knew that Jisung was right.

\--------

Naturally, the quartet who weren’t caught up in the kitchen finished way ahead of those that were. The 4 of them had some time to lounge around and relax. Seungmin didn’t know what the others were up to, but he knew that he desperately wanted to read a book. He decided to stay in one of the rooms and do just that. 

He laid down and settled himself on the bed, got the book from his bag, and began to read.

Seungmin was a couple of chapters in when he heard a creak coming from the door. He looked up to see Hyunjin gingerly approaching.

“Sorry, were you going to use this room?” Seungmin asked, about to get up.

Hyunjin waved a hand in front of him, “No, no. I just came to return this.” 

He reached out something that was baby blue towards Seungmin. He realized that it was the sweater he wore last weekend. It seemed to have been freshly laundered and ironed. 

"Thank you."

Seungmin took it and laid it on top of his bag, near the foot of the bed. He went back to a relaxed position with his book. 

Hyunjin hesitated by the door.

“Can we talk, Seungmin?” Hyunjin asked in a quiet voice.

Seungmin looked up from what he was reading.

“Sure.”

Hyunjin walked closer and sat against the side of the bed, his back facing Seungmin. 

“What is it?”

Hyunjin’s voice shook before he could even get a word out. He was relieved that Seungmin couldn’t see his expression. 

“I’m sorry,” he started to say, his tone somber. “For what happened a couple of days ago. And for what happened before that too. I’m really sorry.”

Seungmin let go of his book and closed it. 

“It’s okay. I understand where you were coming from. I’m sorry too.”

Seungmin’s voice was kind, without a single trace of bitterness. It healed Hyunjin but somehow hurt him at the same time too. He didn’t say anything for a while and just sat there.

“I’ll pretend like nothing happened if that’s what you want. I just don’t want us to fight again,” Hyunjin said, not quite sure if he meant the first line. But in that moment, he just wanted nothing more than the second.

“I don’t like fighting with you either,” Seungmin answered.

“Then let’s just not.”

“Okay.”

Hyunjin stood up and turned towards Seungmin with a smile. Seungmin smiled back brightly. Finally, after so long.

They kept the conversation short and sweet; that was all they could muster for now. Hyunjin stood up to go, letting Seungmin enjoy his book in peace. He reached out to Seungmin and lightly ruffled his hair before leaving the room. Seungmin warmly accepted the gesture.

As Hyunjin closed the door behind him, Seungmin laid back down on the bed with his book. He wasn’t sure if he was still in the mood to read. He turned to face the side of the wall and hugged a pillow tight to his chest. It looked like he was trying to muffle the sound of something. 

If the heart could make a sound as it broke, that was probably it. 

They made up, but why did he feel like breaking even more?

\--------

Once the food was cooked and the tables were set, the actual camping trip began. They ate the food quickly, firstly out of hunger and secondly out of excitement for the evening ahead. 

The camping trip was a great opportunity to play some games around the campfire. The boys from the house of Night had some pretty interesting ideas.

“We’ll be playing a game called Phobia,” Minho announced, raising a bottle of something in his right hand. "And we’ll be drinking a drink that is also called Phobia."

“The mechanics are simple. One of us will state a fact about himself that may or may not apply to everyone else in the circle. If it does, the drink will remain gold. If it doesn’t, the drink will become bloody red. If you don’t want the people around the circle to know whether that fact applies to you or not, you have to drink your glass quickly,” he explained.

There were amused and expectant faces in the group.

“What an amazing way to get drunk.”

“This is perfect.”

“Let’s do it.”

Minho handed everyone a shot glass and filled each one with some Phobia. Seungmin looked at the honey-colored liquid. It looked innocent enough but it was called Phobia for a reason. 

The 8 of them settled themselves around the campfire and started the game.

“Hyunjin, you go first,” Minho said, throwing him a glance.

Hyunjin racked his brain for an intriguing thing to say.

“I think I’m the most handsome one here,” he finally declared, confidently. His drink remained a liquid gold.

“Hey, Hwang Hyunjin! Don’t rub it in!” the others badgered.

The rest of the group’s drinks quickly turned red. 

Except for Jisung’s.

“Really?” Hyunjin teased, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

Jisung acted like he was about to stand up, “Do you want to start another fight here and now?”

Everyone around the circle just laughed them off. The so-called feud was a funny thing to them now.

They heckled each other some more, until Hyunjin prodded the person beside him. The next one was Jeongin.

“I’ve never liked anyone before,” Jeongin said proudly. 

His glass gleamed in gold; Chris, Felix, and Changbin’s also stayed gold. Several glasses turned red right away---Jisung, Minho, and Hyunjin’s.

Seungmin drank his glass before the color could change. He hoped no one noticed. 

But someone did. And that person wasn’t going to let it go just like that.

“Seungmin drank his glass!” Felix said, high-pitched and happy. “Why? Is he around this circle?

Felix poked him with a finger and made kissy faces in his direction. It was playful and provoking at the same time. It was stressing Seungmin out.

“Let’s just move on.”

The boys jeered. Seungmin just rolled his eyes.

Hyunjin tried his best to be indifferent, but he couldn’t deny that it planted a seed of hope in his heart. He ignored it. The two of them were okay now. There was no use for that. He already said that he was going to pretend like nothing happened.

“Chris, you,” Jeongin said, pushing the game forward.

“I’ve never had my first kiss,” Chris said. He shook the honey-hued glass in his hand for everyone to see.

Only 2 glasses out of 8 lit up like stop light signs---Jisung and Minho. They watched nervously as the gold turned crimson. Their cheeks also took on the same hue. Changbin was the only one who noticed. He couldn’t help but laugh at the side. Jisung pinched him from behind.

“Seungmin, it’s your turn,” Chris said, smiling at him.

Seungmin thought for a second. He felt like a prude compared to the others. He had never done anything scandalous or shameful in his life. His record was crisp clean. There was nothing particularly interesting.

He glanced around the eager faces. They always listened keenly like this when Seungmin spoke, hanging on his every word. He had no idea just how much the others found him endearing.

“I’m really happy to be here with all of you right now,” he said finally, beaming. His drink was as gold as his heart was.

Everyone else’s glasses remained gold too. 

There was no hiding that. He couldn't have said it better. With the 8 of them all together now, they were indeed very happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something light this time around to heal the pain from the last few chapters! 
> 
> Let's get them that win, Stay! Stream! <3 (Posting the next chapter once we get them that win for sure!)


	17. Hero's Soup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what, I was going to post this chapter later this weekend but I was so happy with Stray Kids's MuBank stage, Hyunjin's Psycho performance w/ the 00-line, and their cooking VLive so I just decided to post it now haha.
> 
> I hope you enjoy :)

The night was far from over. Phobia was just one of the highlights. 

Like the last party, there were Boosters, Boxers, and Astronauts to go around. The Quidditch players also brought bottles of Hero’s Soup to share. It was time to make the others taste what victory was like.

After an interesting game, the boys had heightened spirits and high energies. Chris brought out his phone and his speakers, and turned on the music. He acted as the DJ for the night. They passed the bottles of alcohol around for each member. Even Seungmin eagerly took one. After that, the party was at full speed ahead.

Surprisingly, Seungmin didn’t stop with a single bottle. He was feeling quite bold tonight. It didn’t help that everyone else was pushing him on too. Jisung made him try some Hero’s Soup and he gamely brought it to his lips. 

He had to admit, Hero’s Soup was kind of addicting. He realized why the Quidditch players loved it so much. He still preferred the drink that Hyunjin had given him before though. It was sweeter and gentler to the taste.

At some point, they put out the campfire and went back inside the tent. This scene mimicked exactly how they were at the last party. The boys got crazy. Jeongin and Felix morphed several times over. Chris, Changbin, Jisung, and Minho were getting so much into the music. There were dancing lights everywhere. Their patronuses were running around the room too, surrounding them with sparkle and glitter. 

As the others danced and jumped around at the center of the room, Seungmin sat in one of the chairs and enjoyed his drink. Hyunjin was across from him, also watching the others. Seungmin noticed that Hyunjin, despite being the center of attention in most places, hung back during gatherings like this. He was like this before too. The other members easily took the spotlight from him with how they were carrying themselves at the moment, for both the good and the bad.

Hyunjin beamed at him from where he was. Seungmin smiled back. Even if they had patched things up, they were still being wary of each other. Seungmin knew that they just had to give it some time. It wouldn’t take too long before things got back to normal.

The night drew on and the party pushed forward. It almost seemed like there was no end to it. But like before, the boys gradually just fell like dominos one by one.

Before long, Seungmin fell asleep too.

\--------

Hyunjin decided to sleep as well, but not after watching the others pass out. Very much like the last time. To his surprise, Seungmin was one of those on the floor right now. He slept beside Changbin, still serene in a drunken stupor. 

It looked like Hyunjin was the only one using the rooms tonight. No way was he dragging each of them like that. There would be no point in the roommate system after all. 

Hyunjin quietly traipsed towards the rooms, careful not to wake the others up. That would be a difficult thing to do, seeing as how they were all so deep into slumber. 

Finally in the room, he collapsed on the bed and closed his eyes. It was quite late already. He was amazed at how they held out for so long. 

If he looked back on this day now, he was pretty satisfied. The night was great. They had a lot of fun. He and Seungmin were fine now too. He also found joy in seeing him have a good time, apart from his usual self, away from libraries and classrooms. It was a nice sight to see.

Hyunjin fell asleep like this, dreaming of the day that had just passed. 

After some time, something disturbed his slumber.

“Hey, Hwang Hyunjin! Wake up!” 

Hyunjin had always been a light sleeper so he woke up from this almost immediately. He hadn’t even fallen deep into sleep yet.

He opened his eyes. 

Seungmin was hovering over him, pink in the face.

“Seungmin, what are you doing here?” he said, blinking his eyes open.

“Isn’t this my room too?” he replied in a drunken slur. The boy had a point. Hyunjin couldn’t drive him away now.

Hyunjin rubbed his eyes sleepily.

“Get up, I need to talk to you,” Seungmin ordered.

“Seungmin, you’re drunk. Go to sleep,” Hyunjin said, groggily but patiently.

“No, we need to talk,” the other boy insisted.

“Go to sleep.” 

Seungmin pouted. Hyunjin felt a pinch in his heart as if an ant had just bitten it.

“If you’re not getting up, I’m joining you.”

It’s an understatement to say that Hyunjin was shocked when Seungmin made him scoot over and laid with him on the small bed. 

Side by side, they stared up at the ceiling. Hyunjin suddenly forgot how to move. The lack in space prevented them from moving regardless. They were two tall men and the bed was for a single person only.

“Fine, you got my attention. What do you want to talk about?” Hyunjin said. He thought that he might as well play along to an intoxicated man’s speech.

Seungmin took his sweet time before starting. He wanted to make sure that Hyunjin was listening. 

He was. Intently.

“People always say I think too much, but you, you don’t think at all, do you?” 

There was some spite in his tone. Hyunjin didn’t know what to say to that so he just let Seungmin speak. 

“How could you say things like that so easily? Don’t you know that if you can say those things so easily, you can take them back just as easily too?”

That. As in what happened in the field. Hyunjin realized. Weren’t they just okay a while ago?

“I’m not going to eat up everything you say just because you’re pretty or you’re the prince. I don’t care.”

Seungmin was trying his best to sound angry.

But why was it that he just sounded cute to Hyunjin’s ears?

“I’m not like everyone else you’ve said that to.”

Hyunjin’s body reacted to that. He decided that it was time to speak. He moved so that he could look at Seungmin.

“I’ve never said that to anyone else before. You’re the only one,” he replied, serious. 

So this was how Seungmin really felt, Hyunjin thought. He just needed some alcohol to push it out of him. 

Hyunjin wondered how someone as smart as Seungmin could miss out on all of the signs. That he was crazy for him. That he meant every word. That he was the first. That he was the only one. 

Seungmin wasn’t even listening. He just kept rambling. He turned to face Hyunjin too to make his point stronger. 

“Do you think I’m easy?”

“I don’t think you’re easy.”

“I’m not easy.”

“You aren’t.”

“I’m not.”

“You really aren’t,” Hyunjin said, smiling now. Who was going to tell him how hard Hyunjin had been trying? 

They volleyed the words back and forth. Hyunjin felt like he was playing with a child. He was well-aware that there were many sides to Seungmin, but the baby-like boy that was beside him right now might be the best one he’s seen so far. He had the same thought at the archives. Then by the river. Then at the party. Then in the Quidditch field. He wondered how it was possible that he kept seeing the best of Seungmin at each turn.

“How could I not like you when you’re being like this?” Hyunjin said, warmth in his eyes.

Seungmin brought a finger in front of his face.

“Stop, I’m trying to be mad at you right now.”

Hyunjin smiled at him.

“Stop.” 

Hyunjin just kept smiling.

“Stop,” Seungmin whined.

Hyunjin was at the brink of laughter. The scene felt familiar but the mood was very different. He liked this one better.

Seungmin closed his eyes in frustration, “I told you to---”

Hyunjin stopped. 

But he didn’t stop himself from leaning in to touch his lips to Seungmin’s. 

He pulled away to look at him.

“I stopped.”

Seungmin shut up too.

They gazed back at each other. A second seemed to pass like an eternity, the same way it did in the field before. Hyunjin wondered if he did something he would regret again. Seungmin was right, he really wasn’t thinking at all. 

But how could he when there was barely any space between them now?

At that moment, Seungmin crept closer and kissed Hyunjin back.

Forget Hero’s Soup. As their kiss deepened, Hyunjin realized that this was how real victory tasted like on his lips.


	18. Awkward Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay everyone since I'm so SO happy with the pairings for 2 KIDS SONG, here's a chapter for you!

The morning after, Seungmin woke up to a severe and throbbing pain on his head. The blaring headache was enough to rouse him awake. His eyes refused to open, still unaccepting of the fact that there was another day ahead. He seemed to be hugging something so he hugged it tighter, hoping it would lull him back to the comfort of sleep; away from pain and the slight queasiness he was feeling right now. 

To his utter bewilderment, it hugged him back.

That jolted him awake like lightning. The memories of last night flashed before his listless eyes.

He woke up to a sleeping Hyunjin beside him, both of them still in their clothes from last night. His heart grew weak when he realized that their bodies were intermingled and their fingers were intertwined.

At first, Seungmin was frozen in place. He couldn’t move his arms or legs. They simply wouldn’t listen. He screamed at his limbs in his mind. He had to get away from there right now.

They seemed to heed after a while. Seungmin slowly extracted himself from Hyunjin’s grasp, careful not to wake him up. If he did, that would be an even bigger problem. He wasn’t ready to deal with that yet. 

Seungmin tiptoed towards the door. He opened it then closed it beside him as silently as he could. When he was finally out of the room, he let himself breathe.

“You disappeared last night. Where’d you go off to?” 

Seungmin nearly jumped from the sound of Jisung’s voice. Jisung was in the kitchen, getting himself a glass of water. He was the only one awake among the others, as far as Seungmin could tell.

Seungmin didn’t even let him finish preparing his glass. He roughly grabbed Jisung by the hand and pulled him outside. 

“What? What? What?” Jisung retorted, struggling from Seungmin’s hold of him. 

Seungmin didn’t turn nor did he stop walking. Only when they had reached a clearing far enough from the tent did he let go of Jisung’s hand.

“Why did you bring me here?!”

Seungmin placed both of his hands on Jisung’s shoulders.

“Jisung,”

“What?” Jisung said, still frowning from being dragged forcefully.

He strained to open his lips, “I did something last night.”

“What?” His best friend’s tone changed from irritated to interested.

“I went to Hyunjin’s room.” 

“And?”

Seungmin struggled to get the words out.

“I laid down beside him on the bed. I remember talking a lot.”

“And?”

Jisung seemed to lean closer the more Seungmin spoke. He didn’t want to miss a single detail.

“He kissed me.”

Jisung feigned as if he was going to run back to the tent, “Do you want me to go to that guy now----”

Seungmin pulled him so that he would stay put.

“I kissed him back.”

Jisung didn’t say anything right away and just stood there gaping at Seungmin. When his brain had finally recovered from the initial shock, he could barely form any coherent sound. 

Surprisingly, when he finally spoke, the voice that came out was calm.

“How do you feel about that?”

Seungmin whimpered. In contrast to Jisung’s calm demeanor, he was muddled and agitated. In most situations, the opposite was true.

“What am I going to do?” he said, shaking Jisung.

Jisung shook his head, “I didn’t know you had it in you. I’m actually impressed.”

Seungmin shook Jisung harder.

“I don’t! I don’t have it in me. I don’t even understand why I did what I did.”

Jisung raised an eyebrow.

“Until now, you still don’t understand? You went into a guy’s room, laid down next to him, and kissed him. Then you slept there the whole night too. You still don’t get it until now?” he asked, being level headed one of the two at the moment.

Seungmin closed his eyes, refusing to recognize what was right in front of him.

“If he and I never acknowledge it, it never happened,” Seungmin said, still in blatant denial. “Besides, he might not even remember.”

Jisung laughed. It sounded like the funniest joke he’s ever heard from Seungmin.

“Yes, go tell yourself that.”

Seungmin groaned, “You told me I didn’t need to know what I felt yet!”

“This is before I knew you’d do this.”

Jisung laughed again. This was a pioneering moment. He had never seen the calm and composed Seungmin so shaken up. 

He placed a hand on Seungmin’s shoulder, “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Seungmin, it’s okay. It’ll be okay. It’s just a kiss.” 

“It was just a kiss, right?” Jisung added, giving him an impish grin.

Seungmin hit his shoulder, “We just kissed!”

“Okay, okay,” Jisung said, raising his hands up in the air.

Seungmin buried his face in his hands. He was at a loss for what to do and Jisung wasn’t exactly helping.

Jisung laughed to himself again.

“Wait ‘till Minho hears about this,” he muttered.

Seungmin knew that it would be inevitable. What he had with Jisung was what Hyunjin had with Minho. It would reach his ears soon enough.

And what Jisung had with Minho was a question he hadn’t found the opportunity to raise yet. Now was the time.

He suddenly faced his best friend, “Are you and Minho…?”

“Maybe? We’re still trying to figure that out,” Jisung said, nonchalantly. It seemed that he was prepared to be asked something like that. “I’m not really in a rush to know. Neither is he.”

“But you like each other?” Seungmin asked.

“It appears that way, yes.”

“And you’ve already kissed?”

“Yes,” Jisung affirmed. It seems that Seungmin caught on from last night’s game of Phobia.

Jisung could see the confused expression on Seungmin’s face. His best friend was just too chaste and a little conservative. Kisses had to mean something. Sharing a bed was reserved for someone you loved. Confessions couldn’t be mindlessly thrown. Feelings were hidden in a vault kept safe, and you only ever gave the key to someone who wouldn’t take it for granted. 

But Jisung knew that, that wasn’t always the case. While Seungmin liked to dwell on the blacks and whites of life, Jisung had already accepted and embraced that there were simply gray areas and other shades too. He was going to enjoy all of the colorful experiences it had to offer, whether or not it healed or hurt him. They didn’t have to live in monochrome. He hoped Seungmin could see that too.

“Not everything has to be clear-cut, Seungmin. The same applies to you. And that’s okay. You’ll be fine.”

The sentiment was nice but Seungmin wasn’t convinced.

\--------

After the two of them had calmed down from the conversation, Seungmin and Jisung went back to the tent. Silence surrounded the room. Everyone else still seemed to be deep in sleep. 

“Where did you guys go?” 

Seungmin and Jisung were both startled. They didn’t notice that there was a person standing in the corner.

It was Hyunjin. He was idling by the kitchen.

The three of them exchanged glances before any response was made. It was as if a pin was going to drop right into the middle of the room.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” Jisung announced, breaking the silence. He said it in a voice that was a little too loud for the morning. It was also a little too much information too. Some of the other members stirred and grumbled at the noise. 

Seungmin watched as Jisung left the same way he came in. He promised himself that he was going to hit him later for abandoning him.

His eyes returned to Hyunjin. They were left alone and were the only ones awake. The other members were still fast asleep between the two of them, unbothered.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

Seungmin could feel the stiff air pass through the space that separated them. 

“Have you had breakfast already?” Hyunjin asked, walking over to where the left-over food was.

“Not yet,” Seungmin replied.

“Then let’s eat together,” Hyunjin said, looking back at him.

Seungmin nodded once. He was about to follow him when he suddenly winced at the throbbing from his temple. 

He had been so caught up this morning, he forgot that he was still suffering from a hangover.

Hyunjin noticed right away and came up to him in a few strides. He placed an arm around Seungmin’s shoulders.

“Go back to the room and lie down first. I’ll get you some food and water.”

Seungmin had never dealt with a hangover until now so he did as he was told. It was the worst feeling he ever had. If it felt this bad, he vowed never to drink again. Hyunjin assisted him until the hallway, taking extra care to make sure he got to the room safely.

When Seungmin entered the room, he paused at the threshold. Without thinking, he actually wondered which bed he’d lie down on; his or Hyunjin’s. He shook the thought away and settled on his own bed. 

He closed his eyes for a while and allowed his mind to wander. He knew that in a few moments, Hyunjin would be joining him. He had to get it together. He was banking on Hyunjin not remembering anything, but the odds of that happening were far too low and far too uncertain. 

It never happened, it never happened; he told himself this as if it were a mantra. 

When he thought more, his head hurt a little more too. Seungmin touched a hand to the side of his head, as if the gesture could take away the pain. Just as he did, Hyunjin walked in with a plate and a glass in his hands.

Hyunjin clicked his tongue, “Unfortunately, there’s no magic for hangovers, but I’m here and that should be magic enough.”

Seungmin was busy massaging his temples, but he still managed to glare at him.

“I have food and water. It should get a little better after that,” Hyunjin said as he sat on the floor beside Seungmin’s bed. 

Hyunjin laid down the plate and handed Seungmin the glass of water, which he shyly accepted. Hyunjin placed both of his elbows on the bed, watching Seungmin as he drank. 

“You had a little too much last night.”

Seungmin downed the glass of water.

“I probably wasn’t thinking too much last night.” 

Hyunjin laughed. 

“It’s fine to do that every now and then. Let that pretty little mind of yours relax sometimes,” Hyunjin said, playfully flicking a finger on Seungmin’s forehead.

Seungmin scrunched his nose and Hyunjin laughed even more.

“Be careful next time. At least you know your limit now,” Hyunjin said, handing him the plate this time.

Seungmin suddenly thought of what he did---With the person right beside him now. He was definitely made aware of his limit. He pushed the image back down in his mind the same way he pushed the food down in his stomach.

“Eat more,” Hyunjin said.

He did as he was directed. Anything, anything at all to get rid of the headache and nausea. They exchanged some silence, with only the sound of the spoon and the fork in the background.

Hyunjin just continued to watch him at the side.

“What about you?” Seungmin asked after a few mouthfuls. The silence was making him uncomfortable.

“I’ll just make sure that you eat first,” Hyunjin replied.

Seungmin carefully laid down the plate and pushed it in Hyunjin’s direction. 

“Eat too.”

“You first.”

Seungmin shook his head.

Hyunjin relented with a grin, “Fine.”

After Hyunjin took the first bite, they found themselves smiling at each other. 

They ate a lot after that, sharing the plate between the two of them. They spoke a lot too, catching up on what they had missed from each other in the days that had passed. The time that they spent in a silent war with each other seemed to have lapsed so long, they were curious as to what the other was up to now that there seemed to be peace. They appeared to have defeated the awkward silence from the past few weeks. 

Despite being happily engaged in their exchange, each pause scared Seungmin. He was still afraid of where Hyunjin would steer their conversation. 

Regardless, whatever he was afraid of never came. 

Hyunin’s only intention right now was to get him to eat and to get him to feel better. Anything else had to wait.

Neither of them said anything about what happened last night, but if gazes and glances could speak, it didn’t seem like they were denying it either. They simply spoke of other things, traipsing around the topic of the night before. There was no point in dwelling on the words that weren’t being said; they could just focus and enjoy the words that were.

And so they revelled in that quiet. The quiet was more than enough for now.


	19. Clarity

“I think we need a break.”

Seungmin took a pause from reading to raise an eyebrow at Jisung.

“You just started studying yesterday.”

Jisung peered at Seungmin from the stack of books in front of him. They were at the archives now; one of the rare times that Jisung chose to accompany Seungmin here. The plan was to study the whole day. It was only midday and Jisung was already at his limit.

“That’s a win for me. You should learn how to celebrate the small victories, Seungmin,” Jisung remarked, burying his head in his arms as if to nap, foregoing the pile of readings on the table.

Seungmin just shrugged.

Unlike Jisung, Seungmin had been studying non-stop since they returned from the camping trip. He wasted no time catching up on his readings and more importantly, his practice. Practical exams were coming up and he still had to perfect several potions and charms.

“You know what we should do? We should go on a trip,” Jisung said, facing Seungin with an excitable expression.

“We just did.”

Jisung rolled his eyes, “That was a week ago. Why can’t we go on another one?”

Seungmin sighed, “Exams are coming up, Jisung. Let’s get a little serious. Both of us.”

He said that but he actually wasn’t too worried about Jisung. The wand simply heeded to him effortlessly. He could learn the spells in a day if he wanted to. His problem was remembering them all.

Exams were barely ever written in Yellow Wood. It mattered to the school that the students knew the spells and its origins, but what mattered more was that they actually knew how to perform them when called to. A spell was a mere combination of words if a wizard didn’t know how to use it with the wand. Jisung had that natural ability as long as he knew what spell to use. Seungmin, on the other hand, adequately halved his study time between reading the books required and going out to the grounds to perform the spells to get a good balance.

“If you don’t want to go, I’ll find someone else who will,” he taunted.

Right after the camping trip, Changbin decided to go back home to his parents for the rest of the break. Jisung’s Quidditch teammates were also spending their vacations elsewhere. Aside from Seungmin, there was only one other person in his mind. And he was confident that that _someone_ would agree right away. They were both spontaneous like that, but it was also one of the many reasons why those two got along so well.

Seungmin laughed in response, “I’m sure that’s what you wanted in the first place.”

Jisung didn’t say anything to contest his remark. Seungmin returned to what he was reading.

“Where are you going?” Seungmin asked, looking up to see Jisung standing up and packing up his books from the desk.

“I was serious.”

“What?”

He finished tucking all of his books into his bag, “Have fun studying!”

Seungmin chuckled as Jisung left the archives. He sometimes wondered where Jisung got his impulsiveness He could never do that. Everything had to be planned in his mind. Going off course was an absolute horror for him. He surely liked things that challenged him mentally, but he despised things that he couldn’t predict. He always had to craft some kind of strategy before going into something, whether it be in school, at work, or elsewhere. That was simply how Seungmin navigated life.

Just then, his phone buzzed inside his pocket. He plucked it out and read the screen.

There was a message.

_Are you free today?_

Seungmin looked at the stack of notes he had just gone over. It seemed that he was all good for now.

_I am. Why?_

There was an instant reply.

_Can you help me master a spell? TT TT_

Seungmin chuckled at the crying face at the end. He imagined the sender doing the exact same expression. It was cute.

_Sure. What time do you want to meet?_

Another instantaneous reply.

_Now! Are you where I think you are? I’ll go there_

Seungmin smiled.

Hwang Hyunjin was probably the only unpredictable thing he couldn’t despise.

\---------

_I’ll wait for you_

Hyunjin couldn’t help but stare and smile when he received Seungmin’s reply.

When he sent those texts, Hyunjin was actually already waiting outside the archives. He even ran into Jisung, who appeared to have a spring in his step. He didn’t even pay Hyunjin much attention as he strutted down the hallway. Hyunjin waited for him to disappear into the corner before going inside the archives himself.

“You’re here already? Did you apparate?” Seungmin inquired, slightly startled at Hyunjin’s sudden appearance.

“I didn’t want to keep you waiting,” Hyunjin answered. It was really more like he was the one who simply couldn’t wait.

Seungmin had been beyond his grasp again after the camping trip. Fortunately, for academic reasons this time around. He got right on to busying himself with a lot of reading and reviewing once they got home to the dorms. Hyunjin was just thankful that he actually replied to his text messages, despite being delayed by a couple of hours. Regardless, it wasn’t exactly a conversation. Today was the first day that they would be having actual facetime since the weekend.

In the past week, Hyunjin kept himself occupied with Quidditch too. He was out in the field for most days, only taking breaks to eat. The next game was immediately after the week following the break and the finals were drawing near. All of the houses took the championship seriously, but the house of Night treated it like a do-or-die matter. As the Seeker, Hyunjin was right at the frontlines of that. He had to do well. The trophy was theirs last year. And the year before that. And the year before that. This would be their 4th consecutive win.

“No training today?”

Hyunjin shook his head, “Not today, no. I wanted to spend some time off the field.”

I wanted to spend some time with you

“Okay then. Let’s go,” Seungmin said, getting up to hold his books together and clean the rest of his things up.

Hyunjin was on his feet right away and took the books from the desk. He also hung Seungmin’s bag over his shoulder.

“I’ll carry these for you.”

“It’s alright,” Seungmin replied, motioning to take his study materials back.

“It’s no trouble. I’m the one troubling you for this favor anyway.”

Seungmin was going to protest more but Hyunjin laid a hand on his own outstretched ones. Hyunjin knew that that would do the trick. He was fully aware that he made Seungmin nervous. He could see it and he liked it.

Just as he thought, his touch made Seungmin relent.

Hyunjin started walking towards the door and Seungmin followed close behind.

“Why do you want to learn the Patronus charm?” Seungmin asked, as they walked along the hallway side by side. The Patronus charm wasn’t in any of their syllabi this year.

“For extra credit in Transfiguration. I’m not doing as well as you in that class. I was hoping this could pull my grade up.”

Hyunjin thought that he probably couldn’t salvage the other topics in the syllabus, but he was hoping that performing the Patronus charm could pull his B up to a B+.

“Please guide me well, teacher,” Hyunjin said in a kid-like tone.

Seungmin laughed, “I’ll try my best.”

Seungmin had seen Hyunjin’s patronus once before---a lion. When one thought of the image of a lion, the words ferocious and intimidating usually came to mind. When Seungmin saw Hyunjin’s lion patronus, it seemed a little timid and bashful. Usually, the demeanor of a patronus reflected the exact disposition of its owner. Maybe Hyunjin was feeling shy about something _or someone_ at that time.

Seungmin’s patronus, on the other hand, was a lamb. It suited Seungmin’s meek and pure personality. It was a little ironic how Hyunjin’s was a lion and Seungmin’s was a lamb; the predator and its prey. The lion vigorously pursued the lamb while the lamb constantly hid and cowered in fear. Their patronuses were quite fitting given their dynamic.

The two walked some more, chatting as they did, until they got to a patch of forest in the school grounds. This was typically used by students for practicing spells. They had it to themselves today.

Hyunjin placed Seungmin’s things near a tree trunk then drew out his wand. Seungmin was already prepared with his own.

“Let’s start?”

Hyunjin nodded.

“Try out the spell now, we’ll see what we need to improve on from there.”

Hyunjin breathed in. He hated to admit it but performing the patronus charm exhausted him. He struggled even to get the wisps of light out. The lion at the library had been a one-time thing. It surprised him then too.

“Expecto Patronum!”

After he said the words, a lion seemed to take shape from the flashes of light. Its shadow struggled to steady itself for a few seconds and appeared to hold for a few seconds more. Hyunjin held his hand shakily and it was apparent that the lion shook too. It disappeared moments after that.

Seungmin pondered for a second. Hyunjin held a pretty confident gaze and the proper posture, but it looked like mental focus was missing from the formula. Erratic thoughts made the most impact in his less than satisfactory delivery. The issue wasn’t external, but rather internal.

“Try to focus on your happiest memories. A patronus is the very projection of those happy thoughts,” Seungmin advised.

Hyunjin did as he was told.

“Think of your happiest memories and hold that picture in your mind.”

Hyunjin set his eyes on Seungmin.

“What?”

“Thinking of my happiest memories.”

Seungmin tried to hide the warmth in his cheeks.

Hyunjin recited the spell again.

This time around, his patronus dashed out in an excited sprint. It seemed to take a clearer form compared to the first try.

It appeared to be working.

Hyunjin filled his mind with memories of an empty library, dusty books, a late-night conversation over some wine, a meadow of flowers, a clear, blue river, the Quidditch field, a tent, a bed, a kiss.

They all had one thing in common.

“You’re doing great!” Seungmin shouted.

Hyunjin sought to hold these pictures in his head, just like Seungmin said. They made him smile as he did.

But then he suddenly recalled what those pictures also came with---confusion, uncertainty, pain, hurt, heartbreak.

As soon as he remembered having those feelings, his patronus stumbled and sputtered, and quickly vanished.

He had only done the spell twice, but it had already evidently tired him out. Mentally and physically.

The Patronus Charm was actually a complex piece of magic. Because it was so difficult, Yellow Wood students weren’t required to master it. Seungmin just happened to take an elective for more advanced spells in his 5th year. As much as he enjoyed the class, it took a whole lot of effort for a free elective. It was a while before he could properly conjure a corporeal patronus. It required a daily routine of going out to practice, and even some self-meditation. He understood why Hyunjin was having so much trouble now.

“Maybe we should take a break. Let’s try again later,” Seungmin said, gesturing for them to sit under the tree.

“I don’t understand why it won’t work,” Hyunjin uttered, frustrated.

“The patronus charm is really sensitive. It’s susceptible to the wizard’s mental and emotional state. If you can’t get into the headspace it requires, it will be really hard to manifest one,” Seungmin explained calmly.

A patronus was conjured out of one’s happiest thoughts. It is an embodiment of that wizard’s source of joy. Having a clear mind was vital to performing the spell properly. Since it’s so reliant on the wizard himself, it was a fickle piece of magic. You could do it well one time then not be able to do it again in another. Its form wasn’t set in stone either. Seungmin’s lamb patronus and Hyunjin’s lion patronus could change, since one’s object of happiness could also change.

“It’s actually a feat that you have a corporeal one. A lion even. Not a lot of people can do that.”

Seungmin tried to cheer Hyunjin up, but he noticed that he had fallen silent beside him. Hyunjin was distinctly less chirpy compared to earlier.

“Is there something bothering you right now?” he asked, concerned.

Hyunjin contemplated. Although it really didn’t require much contemplation because he already knew what had been weighing on his mind lately. He learned to bury those thoughts in the past few days, but now that he remembered, they were all unravelling on their own.

“Actually, there is,” Hyunjin admitted.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Hyunjin looked at Seungmin, “I do.”

Seungmin nodded for him to continue.

“It’s contingent on whether you’re ready to talk about it too.”

Seungmin gave Hyunjin a curious glance.

Hyunjin backpedalled, “Actually, the better question is, will you ever be ready to talk about it?”

Hyunjin had been keeping silent for days now, hoping Seungmin would be the one to break the ice. About a week had passed and his hope was beginning to look fruitless.

“Tell me.”

“I’ll tell you, but you have to promise me one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You can’t run away,” Hyunjin said, making sure that his eyes expressed that he was serious.

Seungmin hesitated but agreed with a nod, “Okay. I promise.”

Hyunjin took a labored breath before starting. He had a lot to say. Maybe practicing the Patronus charm wasn’t his only motive for inviting Seungmin out today after all.

Basking in the sun under a tree on a cool Friday afternoon, a storm was beginning to form over their hearts. Whether it was going to wreak havoc or pass by quietly was still up for debate.

Hyunjin began.

“I know you remember what happened the night of the camping trip. I wanted to talk to you about it that morning too, but it didn’t look like you were ready for that conversation. Not yet. Not with me. I tried to understand that. So I’ve been keeping quiet this whole time, hoping you’d find it in yourself to be the one to come to me. And you haven’t, and it was starting to look like you never would.”

He spoke with stutters and pauses in between. This was more difficult than he imagined. But was he wrong for saying any of that?

“How did you know?” Seungmin asked.

He had been waiting for the blade to fall regarding this and when it didn’t, it was sort of anti-climactic. He began to assume that Hyunjin didn’t remember that night. Now that it had finally fallen on their heads (or just his), he was caught off guard.

“When you disappeared from my side, I went out to look for you. I saw you and Jisung talking. I know it was supposed to be a private conversation, but I couldn’t help but overhear,” Hyunjin answered.

Seungmin didn’t say anything. He wasn’t fond of difficult personal conversations such as this one. How is it that he could speak endlessly about stories and characters from books, but when it was his own, he could barely get a word out?

He had already told Hyunjin that he wouldn’t run away. And so he stayed put and waited for more.

“Even I don’t understand what this is anymore. I let you ignore me. I let you push me away. I agree to set it all aside. I say that I’m okay with that even if it actually pains me. It would be better if I just believed that you didn’t have feelings for me too. I’ll carry that burden on my own, I’ve made peace with that,” Hyunjin said, earnest.

He seemed to want to take Seungmin’s hands in his own but didn’t.

“But then you kiss me and I become so desperate for more all over again. I get so frustrated and confused and hurt. The moment you talk to me or smile even just a little, it’s all gone. I’m at my wits’ end but I can’t even get mad at you. You’re really driving me crazy.”

Seungmin couldn’t look away from his fervent gaze. Hyunjin’s words were gentle but they packed a punch. It was a lot to take in.

Was he really causing him that much pain?

“God, I felt so conceited before. Until I met you, I thought I could get everything with just a smile---I was wrong. With you, I’m giving everything and falling at my feet in exchange for the bare minimum. Sometimes I even end up with nothing. Or even less. I’m really putting my heart through so much for you. No one has ever done this to me. I would never let anyone else do this to me. And I don’t even mind because it’s you. I’m hopeless and helpless and I should hate it, but I just like you even more.”

Everything was pouring out like a heavy rain. His words weren’t meant to hurt Seungmin. But they were honest, and the truth wasn’t always meant to heal.

“I’m sorry,” was all Seungmin could muster.

“I’m not asking for an apology. I’m asking for some clarity. You want me to pretend like nothing happened again? I can’t do that anymore. I can see my heart clearly but you never let me see yours,” Hyunjin pleaded.

“I’m sorry,” Seungmin repeated.

“I told you, I don’t need to hear that. I don’t want you to be sorry. I just want you to be real. Just please tell me what you want.”

Hyunjin still kept a steady tone and a steady gaze, never blaming and never pushing. He didn’t want to start a fight. Not again. He just wanted a conversation to air things out. Finally.

There was no cell in his body that was out to get Seungmin. He tried his best to be mellow with his words and soft with his voice. The lion didn’t want to scare the lamb away.

But the lamb was. Inevitably. Seungmin was fighting every instinct to run. But he promised. He promised that he wouldn’t. And he always kept his promises.

Seungmin tried his best.

“I don’t know how to say this, Hyunjin. The truth is, I don’t know what I want. How can I show you my heart when I can’t even see it myself? I know that I’ve done things that contradict what I’m saying, but I really can’t wrap my head around what this is yet. No matter how much I try, I can’t. I can’t imagine someone like you with someone like me.”

“Someone like you? What does that mean?”

“You don’t understand.”

“Help me understand.”

“We’re so different. We’re so far apart. We’re miles away from each other,” Seungmin answered, mirroring his exact words to Jisung before.

“Why does that matter? The only thing that matters to me is that you’re the most fascinating and captivating person I’ve ever met. And that I like you. I don’t care about how different we are.”

Hyunjin’s words sounded so genuine and so good to his ears. Seungmin’s heart yearned to believe them and hold onto them. But old habits die hard and his mind was working double-time to cancel them out.

“It’s not just that. This is all happening too fast for me. I don’t even know where to start. I can’t admit anything to you if I can’t even admit it to myself first.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me that before?”

“How can I when it looks like you just keep charging forward? I barely have any time to breathe and think. I can’t catch up.”

“Then do you want me to wait until you figure things out? Because I can. What I feel for you isn’t going anywhere. I’ll wait if that’s what you want.”

Seungmin shook his head, “I can’t ask that of you. That would be too selfish of me. ”

“Then be selfish.”

“We don’t even know if this is worth your time or mine. This could all be fleeting. I’m not yet willing to risk it. I don’t want you to get hurt even more than you already are and I don’t want to get hurt either,” Seungmin explained.

“You know I won’t hurt you,” Hyunjin reassured.

“How can you say that now? What about later? I know there’s never any guarantee in the future, but I can’t place my bets on it yet,” Seungmin shot back.

They were both calm when they spoke, but they unavoidably argued for each other’s side.

“Don’t you trust me?”

“How can you ask me that? That’s a loaded question. If I say yes, will that mean that it’s a yes for my feelings too? And if I say no, what will that say about you or me? I don’t see this as a question of trust. Because I trust you. I’ve seen what kind of person you are. I have no reason not to. I just see this as a question. One that I’m not willing to answer just yet.”

Seungmin freely spoke what he was thinking now. As his thoughts spilled out of his mouth, it revealed just how his mind worked. There were endless buts and ands. Something held him back at each turn. He struggled to answer all of the proceeding questions, he hadn’t even gotten through the first one yet.

“So what do you want?” Hyunjin asked with just a tinge of desperation. “I’m not asking you to accept my heart right now. I would never want to force things on you. All I’m asking for is an answer to this. _What do you want?_ ”

Seungmin didn’t know how to answer. He knew what he wanted, but knowing what he wanted was different from saying what he wanted. The latter was harder to do.

“Be selfish for once. Be honest. Ask me to wait if you want me to. Tell me to let go of this completely if you’re sure. I just want to hear what you really want.”

It took Seungmin a moment to reply. There was a whirlwind of thoughts inside his head. His mind fought hard not to relent to what Hyunjin just said. It wanted to oppose more. If he asked him to wait, he felt greedy. If he told him to let go, he felt dishonest.

Answer the first question. Focus on that one thing. Think, he told himself.

Or don’t think at all. And just feel.

“Wait.”

“What?” Hyunjin asked.

Seungmin exhaled.

“Wait for me.”

For the first time, Seungmin felt in his closely guarded heart what the overwhelming feeling of courage and wanting was like.

“Okay,” Hyunjin answered simply. To him, that was simple.

“I’m asking for some patience. I just need to take things one step at a time,” Seungmin said, as if to reason out more.

But there was no need. Seungmin didn’t need to justify it any longer. It really was a simple request for Hyunjin.

“I’ll wait for you,” Hyunjin said in the same tone as before.

Funny how the same exact words came from Seungmin just awhile ago.

“I’m sorry. I know you’re way past me already, but please understand that I’m really quite slow. I want to protect my heart as well as yours. I just want to feel safe on my own first.”

Hyunjin smiled, “I’ll show you. I’ll show you that your heart is safe with me.”

He would do it even if Seungmin didn’t ask.

Seungmin knew this too. Whatever he replied, Hyunjin would fight tooth and nail trying. He didn’t doubt it. He was like that, as he came to know. He had a fighter’s spirit. And so he just accepted it with silence.

Hyunjin was a person worth loving as it is. That wasn’t hard to see. As beautiful as he was, his heart and soul were even more so. Seungmin saw all that so clearly.

But before he could open his heart to someone, he had to win over his mind first. He had to find a way for the voices in his head to sing for him and not scold him time and time again. It was ironic how something he took pride in was the same thing that preyed on him. He still had a lot of fighting to do. If he didn’t conquer that part first, he would just always end up drowning in his self-doubt alongside Hyunjin. Seungmin didn’t want that for him.

Though having someone beside you to cheer you on might not be a bad idea. He was starting to accept that now.

“I have to ask you to promise me something again,” Hyunjin said.

“What’s that?”

“Just be honest with me. I don’t ever want you to feel like you have to stop yourself from telling me what you want. You know I’ll respect it,” Hyunjin said, sincere.

Seungmin glanced back at Hyunjin, mirroring his sincerity.

“I promise.”

Seungmin gently leaned his head on Hyunjin’s shoulder. An affirmation.

The storm over their hearts seemed to have passed. The whirlwind in Seungmin’s mind seemed to dissipate as well. The sun shone brightly over their heads.

Delighted by the small gesture, Hyunjin drew out his wand and whispered the patronus charm. Unlike the previous times, the lion burst out in flawless confidence and in perfect clarity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A resounding yes to healthy feelings, healthy conversations, and healthy relationships! 
> 
> This was honestly a difficult chapter to write. I’m projecting a lot of my own feelings in Seungmin HAHAHA. We are both overthinkers! It’s really hard to contain all of those incoherent thoughts in coherent words TT__TT


	20. Calm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments, as always! <3

The week after the break passed by quickly, at least for Jisung. He simply couldn’t wait to breeze through his practicals and fast forward to the weekend. The weekend meant putting a pause to studying and playing another match of Quidditch. 

The Quidditch season was at its 2nd round now. That meant eliminations for who would be the Top 2 for the championship. It was kind of cruel really; only one house would be robbed of the chance at the trophy. Nobody liked being in that house.

This Saturday’s game was going to be another one with the house of Night. It was yet another chance to steal the grin off Hyunjin’s cocky face. 

Today was finally the day that he had been waiting for. He and the other players cooped up in the players’ tent very early in the morning to discuss tactics and strategies. There were only a few moments left before they would be called to come out of the tents and face the other house. Jisung was idling by the corner now, riled up and ready.

“Han Jisung!” 

He turned towards the sound of that distinct voice.

“Hello there,” Minho said, greeting him cheerfully.

Some players glanced at the two as they conversed. They had a couple of questions in their minds. Firstly, what was someone in red doing here? More importantly, what was Lee Minho doing here of all people?

Neither Jisung nor Minho cared for their curious glances. 

“Oh it’s you!”

“Why? Are you expecting anyone else? Should I be on the lookout for some competition?” Minho answered, feigning jealousy.

Jisung laughed. Minho laughed too. 

“Shouldn’t you be in your house’s tent right now?”

Minho patted his head, “I like it here more. Those guys can take care of themselves.”

He scanned around briefly to look at the others in the tent. They immediately avoided his gaze. Minho had both an intriguing and intimidating appeal to him. He was popular among many, but was also evaded by just as much. He looked steely when he didn’t smile and devious when he did. He exuded an aloofness that could both attract and repel; it was up to you which one you were. It didn’t surprise Jisung that he often got misconstrued by those who didn’t know him well. It fooled him too at the beginning. 

Turns out, Minho just had a cold exterior but had a very warm heart. 

It was one of the things that Jisung found charming about him.

“I saw Changbin a while ago, but where’s Seungmin?” Minho asked, taking the space beside Jisung.

“He said he won’t be attending today. He still has one more exam on Monday,” Jisung explained.

“My heart breaks for Hyunjin,” Minho said, holding onto his chest as if he was in pain, but not really.

“I think they agreed to have dinner after this though.”

“Oh? That’s good to hear. They seem to be doing better these days,” Minho remarked, surprised but pleased.

Jisung thought so too. He noticed little changes in the past week. Seungmin and Hyunjin sat beside each other during Monday’s weekly meeting. The boys from the house of Night also walked with the two of them to their next class. This came as a surprise to Jisung; they almost always just left them behind before. He had caught Hyunjin dropping off Seungmin at their dorm’s steps a couple of times too. Before bed, Seungmin also seemed to be on his phone more often. He usually just read then fell asleep as soon as they got home. He also never really texted much before either. More so when it was exam week. That didn’t seem to be the case anymore. It looked like the two arrived at an agreement.

“Finally.”

“Finally.” 

Both Jisung and Minho were getting tired of their best friends’ drama, although they did have fun watching it. He and Minho often exchanged glances across the room whenever the two were around. Here we go again, they thought. What’s it gonna be this time, they screamed mentally at each other. It became a bit of a running joke between the two of them. But really, they only wanted what was best for those two. 

This also significantly helped Jisung lighten up a lot to Hyunjin. He owed it primarily to both Seungmin and Minho.

But not today. Today, he was out to get him in the field.

“Everyone get ready! We’re going out in 10 minutes!” Brian, the team captain, announced. The other players prepared to huddle.

“I have to go,” Jisung said, regrettably.

Minho smiled, “Okay. I’ll watch you from the stands.”

Jisung nodded.

“Good luck.”

Minho planted a kiss on Jisung’s cheek before he turned around to leave. 

Among the surprised faces who saw what he just did, Jisung was the most shocked of all.

He always assumed that what they had was an unspoken secret between just the two of them. The same way their kisses were. Apart from their best friends, they hadn’t spoken about it to anyone else. The other Head Boys and Prefect didn’t seem to notice either.

But the secret was out. Everyone who saw, knew. There was no denying that.

Jisung got up from his seat, excited and enthused. Anyone who saw could say what they wanted. He didn't care. The only thing in his mind right now was that, that was the best energizer he ever got before a game. He definitely needed more of it for the next games. 

And to do that, he had to win. 

\--------

Seungmin stayed back in the dorms today. He needed some peace and quiet to read. Thankfully, he had the room all to himself this Saturday. Everyone else was going to watch the game. He had one more exam compared to everyone else because of an elective. He wanted to drop by the game since both Jisung and Hyunjin would be playing, but he was not yet completely confident that he had studied everything well. It was important for him to do particularly well in the elective since it was on Magical Law. It was something he was thinking of pursuing in the future.

He just looked forward to the dinner that they would be having after the game. Hyunjin said that they should have a good meal, whether or not they win. However, his tone revealed that he was sure his house was going to win.

After he and Hyunjin had the conversation last week, there were many good changes between them. They had found a nice kind of calm now that they were on even ground and equal footing. It looked like things were falling into place. Seungmin’s chest felt lighter these days, as well as his step. Now that they had said what they said and were no longer keeping things from each other, there was less space for misunderstandings. Things were much smoother than before. Seungmin felt a lot better too.

They were taking things easy. They were taking things slow. But all at a steady pace. He liked it like that. 

Had he gotten anywhere close to admitting what he actually felt? 

Maybe not yet. But actions spoke louder than words. Even if he hadn’t gotten around to willing them into actual sentences, the sincere smiles, the stolen glances, and the softhearted laughter exchanged between him and Hyunjin spoke paragraphs. 

Seungmin wasn’t ready to say it, but the world could see. And Hyunjin could see. Clearer than ever before. Seungmin would find the words on his own soon enough.

Seungmin mulled over these thoughts and smiled.

They were more than okay right now. That was all that mattered. 

The sound of ringing stole Seungmin from his reverie. So deep into his thoughts, he didn’t notice that his phone was vibrating on the bed. He had been studying by the window all day and had it left untouched for most of it. 

He walked over to see who was calling.

It was Jisung.

Why was he calling? It was still too early for the match to be over.

“Hello?”

“I’ve been trying to call! Why didn’t you answer right away?” Jisung said, tensed.

Seungmin was startled. He grew worried at the apparent stress in his best friend’s tone. He could imagine Jisung’s face as he said the words. It didn’t bode well on him.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear. What is it?”

There was a pause at the other end of the line. 

“Come here. Quickly. Something happened.”

“What?”

Jisung took a labored breath.

“It’s Hyunjin,”

The moment of silence scared Seungmin. 

“He fell. He’s injured. It’s not good.”

Any sense of calm that he had felt earlier disappeared from his heart.

“Get here now.”

Seungmin didn’t think for a second more. He ran out of the door right away.


	21. Closed

Seungmin rushed to the Quidditch field. He was almost out of breath when he got there. The other Head Boys and Prefects were there ahead of him. 

He wasn’t able to see Hyunjin. He had already been brought to the infirmary to be tended to. He asked the Head Boys about what had happened. He had never felt this much distress until now.

According to Changbin, It was difficult to see what had actually transpired up in the air. The only one who could properly explain was Hyunjin himself. From the bleachers, it was clear that he was in a rush to get that win today. Changbin noticed it too. He was faster than usual, which was amazing, but also a lot less precautious. It was evident that he was hell-bent on getting the golden snitch. They were only a couple of games away from the championships after all. His eagerness for the trophy showed. Maybe a little too much. It blinded him and all he could see was the snitch, he failed to be attentive to anything else.

Seungmin asked Jisung, who was also visibly shaken up. He was the other Seeker after all. He admitted that Hyunjin was so swift in the match, he could barely catch up to him. Even he didn’t see how he fell off his broom because he was so far ahead. Minho stayed close to Jisung, his eyes filled with uneasiness and concern. Seungmin had never seen him this silent.

They were told that the healers were still assessing Hyunjin’s injuries. He broke a bone or two, but nobody knew just how bad it was. He was out cold when they carried him to the infirmary. 

Quidditch injuries were rare, but whenever they happened, they were always severe. Imagine falling off an altitude from the air. It was nothing that the healers couldn’t fix, but the injuries always seemed to cripple the players temporarily.

One thing was certain. Hyunjin wouldn’t be participating in the next few games. Nobody could say for sure if he could even make it in time for the finals.

The Head Boys and the Prefects sought to control the crowd that was forming in the Quidditch field. They told them to calm down and that everything was under control, even if they themselves weren’t calm nor in control of their emotions right now. Hyunjin was their teammate and friend. They deeply cared for their own.

Once the field was clear, they were also the first ones to make it to the infirmary. The 7 of them were the only ones given permission to go. Everyone else wasn't allowed in order to avoid a commotion. 

When they got there, they asked the healers if they could see Hyunjin. They were denied. He had already been patched up and sedated. He was stable now, fortunately. But they were told to come back tomorrow and to let him rest for the night. 

Seungmin couldn’t sleep at all that night. Slumber only came to him as a consequence of being tired out by the anxiety. He woke up a couple of hours later, feeling as if he had only blinked.

That Sunday, all of the Head Boys and Prefects met up. Right after lunch, everyone gathered outside of the doors of the infirmary to ask the healers about Hyunjin again. 

They were rejected again.

Hyunjin was awake already, but he wasn’t accepting any visitors. That was all they were told. They were advised to come back the next day once more. 

The next morning, that’s exactly what the team did. On the schedule of their supposed weekly meeting, they made their way to the infirmary instead of the classroom. 

The healers still welcomed them with a shake of the head. Hyunjin still wasn’t receiving anyone. 

They were all sent away.

The boys went back to their usual classroom, heads bowed low. It wasn’t like Hyunjin to be dismissive like this. Even Minho wasn’t getting any responses to the messages he sent to him.

Seungmin was no better.

He sent Hyunjin texts asking how he was the day after the incident. There were no instantaneous replies like before. Only silence.

He sent him another text on Sunday night. Still no response. 

Another text that Monday morning right before they met up. Nothing once more.

Hyunjin didn’t want to see anyone. He didn’t want to talk to anyone. He didn’t want anyone at all near him. 

Not his housemates.

Not his team. 

Not his roommates.

Not his best friends.

Not even Seungmin. 

\-------

Seungmin didn’t hear anything at all from Hyunjin that week. 

Still, he went back to the infirmary every morning to check. He came back once more in the afternoon to drop off their notes from class. 

He sent Hyunjin a text first thing in the morning to ask how he was, once at lunch and another during dinner to ask if he had eaten, and last thing each night to check if he received the class notes. He also updated him on anything new in their meetings and classes.

There were no replies. 

Regardless, Seungmin persevered. He texted, he visited, he took notes in class diligently, and he sent them to the healer in charge every single day without fail. He was in the infirmary constantly. The healers came to know his name and he came to know theirs. They knew to expect him on a daily basis. They were beginning to feel sorry for him because Hyunjin’s door always remained shut. 

But it was Hyunjin’s request. He was to have no visitors. Whoever it was. 

That was okay. He needed time, Seungmin thought. He must be taking it quite hard right now. It hurt more that he was struggling alone. But he wanted to be alone. Seungmin understood that he probably had his reasons. He wanted to take care of him, but this was the only way for now.

He wondered if this was how Hyunjin felt before, when he was avoiding him. Even though he didn’t want to admit it, it did sting a little. He felt as if his efforts were going unnoticed.

But that didn’t matter. If anything, he had to try even harder now. Hyunjin needed someone to rely on, now of all times.

Seungmin was just going to have to give it his best and do what he could. He would continue to do what he was doing even if all he got in return was silence. Hyunjin never gave up on him so why would he?

He just had to keep trying.

\--------

“Here are the notes again, Hyunjin.”

The healer quietly came into Hyunjin’s room to place the notes on the chair beside his bed. She always did this once a day. He wasn’t sure which healer it was because he had his back facing away from the door. He was pretending to be asleep. He did this a lot since he’d been here. He wasn’t exactly in the mood for conversation. He hadn’t been for a while. 

When he heard the door close once more, he glanced at what she left. 

The class notes had been growing into a hefty pile by the day. 

His phone buzzed once on the bedside table. He knew who it was from already. That person always texted around this time. 

Hyunjin turned his back on his phone and on the notebooks. 

He didn’t want to read the messages. He didn’t want to look at what was written in the pages. They had all gone unread in the past couple of days.

What was the point? He didn’t need anyone’s pity. He didn’t need anyone to feel sorry for him. 

The golden boy wasn’t feeling so golden in this state. He just wanted to shut his eyes to the world. He didn’t want to see the arm and the leg that were both pretty useless right now. He didn’t want to see his unshaven and unwashed face. He didn’t want to see his unkempt hair. 

He didn’t even want to look at himself, so how could he look at anything else? 

How could he look at anyone else?

His phone buzzed once more.

Stop wasting your time on me, Hyunjin thought. 

He closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, even if he was all alone and he was the only one who would see.


	22. Closer

It took another week before Seungmin heard anything about Hyunjin. 

And it wasn’t even from Hyunjin himself nor was it something he wanted to hear.

This morning, like the past mornings, he was on his way to the infirmary right after a long day of classes. The school bell always rang at 4 PM and the healers already knew to expect Seungmin at the door by 4:05.

He greeted the healers as he entered.

“Just dropping off these notes again, Ms. Hana,” Seungmin said, placing the books on top of the front desk. He and the healer, Hana, were familiar with each other now. 

Usually Hana would cordially accept the notebooks with a smile and send Seungmin off. Today, however, she stood up from where she sat and gave the notebooks back to Seungmin with a slight frown on her face.

“Seungmin, Hyunjin wanted me to let you know that he won’t be accepting anything from anyone anymore.”

“Really?” Seungmin asked, dismayed. His heart dropped to the ground. The healer’s expression showed that she felt for him.

Hana nodded, a sorry feeling in her stomach, “Yes, really.”

“Did he say why?”

“He didn’t say anything.”

“Did anyone else come to bring him notes?” Seungmin replied, still holding on to the stack of notebooks.

Hana shook her head. 

“Then he’ll still need these. Is it okay if I just leave them here? Maybe he’ll change his mind later,” Seungmin said, forcing himself to pull up the crestfallen expression on his face.

Hana sighed, but allowed it. 

Seungmin thanked her and bid her goodbye with a smile, but he closed the door behind him plagued with sadness and worry.

He made his way to the archives, as he always did after class. Alongside preparing Hyunjin’s notes, he also had to study his own. He walked with heavy steps and a heavy heart. His detours to the infirmary were often quick, but today’s trip was so quickly disheartening.

It dwelled on his mind even as he had settled himself on his usual table and laid the books in front of him. The books begged to be read and the papers pleaded to be written on, but Seungmin just wasn’t heeding. His mind was elsewhere. His thoughts were all over the place. His place of solitude didn’t offer much solace at the moment.

Without much thought, he packed his books up. He needed refuge and simply couldn’t find it here. He had to go and find it somewhere else. 

And this wasn’t his only place of refuge after all. Hyunjin was the one who told him that. 

\--------

Seungmin rushed to the dorms and dropped off his belongings. He came in with books, but came out lugging his trusty broom with him. Once he was out on the field, he boarded it and embarked on the path drawn from his memory. 

He descended when he saw the familiar meadow of flowers. Like before, he became entranced with the flurry of colors around him. The flowers seemed to gleam and glimmer even more with the auburn hue of the afternoon sun. He looked over to see if there were any sun flowers, but there were none in bloom today.

He traipsed along the trail, wishing his footsteps weren’t the only ones marking the ground right now. As he trudged on, he found that the magical trail wasn’t as magical alone. Even then, it was still a pretty sight. 

When he finally arrived at the river, he took in the air and the sights as he did in the past. If only Hyunjin was beside him right now. 

Well, he was in Hyunjin’s happy place, so maybe he could feel a little happier here compared to the past week. It couldn’t take away the longing and it wouldn’t fill the absence, but the breathtaking view was a welcome distraction.

With the wonder of a view around him, Seungmin found himself wondering even more. He came here for some peace, but his thoughts just seemed louder in such a serene place. This was supposed to be an escape, but maybe he wasn’t supposed to escape whatever was on his mind. 

On his own now, he let himself think of Hyunjin. He let himself worry. He had been patiently and diligently trying his best to help Hyunjin in whatever way he can, but the other boy’s lack of response was a cause for concern. 

Hyunjin had been silent for nearly two weeks now. He was missing a considerable amount of material for school. He was missing meetings. He was missing news, one of which was Jisung and Minho. More importantly, he was missed. Sorely. By the whole team. By Jeongin. By Minho. By Seungmin, most of all. 

How could he still not let anyone in? 

Hyunjin seemed to have suffered injuries far worse than his broken arm and leg. The fall seemed to have damaged his spirit too. He seemed to have fallen into a hole. A dark one. 

Seungmin couldn’t rest thinking about it. He had to see him now. Hyunjin needed someone, even if he didn’t want it.

But what was he going to do?

Seungmin remembered what Hyunjin said to him the day they came here. If he couldn’t answer himself, maybe Hyunjin could.

Hyunjin told him before that he liked things simple, easy, and straightforward. 

And what was so simply, easily, and straightforwardly discernible from all of this?

Seungmin wanted to see him. Desperately. Immediately. 

And he was going to do anything to do just that.

\---------

Seungmin didn’t waste any time crafting a plan. As soon as he decided that he had to see Hyunjin tonight, the plan was simple, easy, and straightforward.

Sneak in. 

He had never done that before. Anything that fell beyond the circle of order was also beyond Seungmin. 

But this was different. He cared too much that bending and breaking the rules no longer seemed so far fetched.

That night, Seungmin waited until everyone else in their room was asleep. Jisung was one of his biggest roadblocks. He normally slept quite late, staying up to watch cute animal videos on his phone. Thankfully, he dozed off early tonight. Once he was sure of his roommates’ snores and slumber, Seungmin quietly extracted himself from his bed and tiptoed towards the door. He opened and closed it gently so that it wouldn’t make a sound. He exhaled at ease as he passed the Star commons without running into anybody. It was pretty late in the night and night owls were rare in his house. He stealthily and successfully went out of the dorms and into the darkness of the night.

When he reached the dim hallways, he made sure to avoid rousing any of the scholars in the paintings. Most of the time, they also dozed off, but there were some scholars who stayed up late reading their scrolls. Tonight, there were none. They were all sound asleep. There was no one patrolling the corridors too. Usually, that task was for the Head Boys and Prefects, but they always ended their shifts early because most nights passed without incident. 

Seungmin pretended to be a ghost lurking in the shadows until he reached the infirmary. He brought his wand just in case he had to unlock any doors using magic. It seems that that was unnecessary. The door to the infirmary was open, but the healers were no longer on guard. They appeared to be tucked away in their own sleeping quarters as well. 

Never in his whole stay in Yellow Wood did he imagine that he would sneak into the infirmary in the dead of night----That he would sneak into anywhere at any time for that matter. He found himself in very odd circumstances this year.

Seungmin breathed a sigh of relief when he finally arrived at the door of Hyunjin’s room.

Hyunjin was the only patient in the infirmary right now, so it wasn’t too hard to figure out where he was.

The door wasn’t locked either so he easily let himself in.

The room was dark, save for a small night light by Hyunjin’s bedside table. It illuminated the room very slightly and all Seungmin could see of Hyunjin was his sleeping form. He silently approached the bed to sit by what appeared to be a chair near the window. He didn’t want to startle Hyunjin nor alert anybody from outside.

What Seungmin didn’t realize was that there was a stack of notebooks right next to that chair. It was the notes that he had written himself in the past week. As he proceeded towards the window, he failed to see those notebooks and he unavoidably bumped into them. They came crashing down onto the floor and inevitably made a loud sound.

Seungmin gasped. The noise was loud, but fortunately, he didn’t think anyone from outside would hear. For anyone inside the room, on the other hand, it was impossible not to hear it.

He glanced at Hyunjin on the bed. He knew that he was a light sleeper.

Hyunjin was definitely wide awake now.

“What are you doing here?” Hyunjin croaked. He hadn’t heard much of his own voice in a while and it sounded awful to his ears.

“Sorry, I wanted to check up on you,” Seungmin replied, apologetic and embarrassed. 

Hyunjin reached for the switch beside his bed. It was for the lights. They could see each other clearly now. 

“You’re way past curfew.”

Hyunjin looked at Seungmin. He hadn’t seen him in a while. He didn’t expect that the next time he would, he would find him flustered and blushing in his matching pajamas in the middle of the night. He feigned a smile at the sight but it didn’t touch his eyes at all. 

Seungmin’s heart ached as he gazed right back at him. Hyunjin was so different from the Hyunjin that usually pranced around the hallways. This one was clearly fatigued and exhausted, and it wasn’t just his body that was. He was a far-cry from the energetic, smiling boy that everyone knew so well. It was painful to see him in that state. Seungmin didn’t like it at all.

More than that, he didn’t like the ache that was making itself known in his heart. It was a self-indulgent ache. It was the ache of yearning. He realized just how much he had missed Hyunjin this whole time. It was kind of a selfish thought but he knew that it was true.

Hyunjin cleared his throat. Seungmin had been staring longer than he thought.

Seungmin hurriedly fixed the books that had fallen and quickly sat on the chair by the window to have a closer look at Hyunjin. He had a few cuts on his usually flawless face but he still looked perfect. His arm was in a cast and his leg was in a splint. They glimmered with magic, clearly bewitched with a healing charm to avoid further damage.

Hyunjin noticed Seungmin glancing at his broken limbs. He adjusted his blanket to cover them up.

“How are you?” Seungmin asked, leaning towards him.

“What do you think?” Hyunjin sneered.

Hyunjin’s tone was unlike anything Seungmin had ever heard from him before. It wasn’t angry. It just felt empty. Like Hyunjin wasn’t even there. 

Seungmin didn’t respond. 

“Are they feeding you well?”

Hyunjin nodded. Seungmin was concerned because he had visibly lost some weight, but he wanted to believe that he was indeed eating properly. He promised himself that he would feed Hyunjin all of his favorite meals once he was out of here. 

Some silence passed between them. It was magnified by the fact that it was the wee hours of the night.

“What are you doing here, Seungmin?” Hyunjin asked. His voice was quiet but it didn’t mask the fact that there was a sense of exasperation in it.

“I wanted to see you,” Seungmin said, candidly.

“Why? There’s nothing to see here.”

Seungmin frowned, “Of course there is. You’re here. Everyone misses you.”

Hyunjin rolled his eyes.

“They miss the prince. The golden boy,” he said in a mocking tone. “Hate to disappoint but neither of them are here.”

“You’re still Hwang Hyunjin. Nothing’s changed,” Seungmin replied, combatting the negativity in his tone.

Hyunjin scoffed. 

“Go back to your dorm, Seungmin. Go back to sleep.”

Seungmin shook his head.

“You’re wasting your time here. You’re wasting your time on me.” 

Seungmin fervently shook his head and smiled.

“Not at all. Not one bit.”

Hyunjin gave him an expression as if he had just said something incredulous.

“Suddenly you’re so nice? You wanted to forget about all of this a few weeks ago. Now, you can. I can’t bother you anymore.”

He said it with so much spite, that it would’ve hurt anyone else. 

But not Seungmin. Seungmin kept the smile on his face. 

“Then let me be the one. I’ll bother you this time around.”

Hyunjin rolled his eyes again, “Leave.”

“I won’t.”

“I’m asking you to leave,” Hyunjin insisted.

“And I’m telling you, I’m staying right here.”

Seungmin moved the chair closer to the edge of Hyunjin’s bed. He had already made up his mind and nothing was going to faze him. Not even Hyunjin.

Hyunjin looked away, “Leave.”

Seungmin stayed put. 

“Leave,” Hyunjin said, his voice breaking.

Hyunjin was blatantly trying to push him away, but Seungmin didn’t budge. All he could think of was how long Hyunjin had been carrying this weight alone. He didn’t want him to do that. He knew what it was like to be burdened by your own thoughts and to be trapped in your own mind. He knew that darkness better than anyone. Seungmin learned that sometimes you needed someone else to let the light in. 

“I’ll stay right here. I’ll never leave you,” Seungmin answered. There was as much softness in his tone as there was seriousness.

Why was he making it so difficult?

“Why won’t you listen?”

Hyunjin wanted to say more but he couldn’t. He couldn’t speak anymore. The feeling in his chest had overwhelmed him. 

He didn’t know how it happened, but tears suddenly fell from his eyes like a downpour. Soon enough, he was drowning from the sobs that broke from his throat. 

Seungmin laid his hand over Hyunjin’s hand. Hyunjin continued to cry for a while. Seungmin intertwined their fingers and never let go.

When he had calmed down for a bit, Hyunjin finally turned back towards Seungmin with tear-streaked cheeks. It broke Seungmin’s heart to see. He held Hyunjin’s hand tighter.

“Seungmin, it hurts so much. I feel like nothing. Nothing at all.” Hyunjin said, crying even more. 

Seungmin crept closer and enveloped Hyunjin in his arms, taking care to be gentle with his injuries. Hyunjin buried his face in Seungmin’s shoulder, while Seungmin delicately stroked his hair. Seungmin held Hyunjin close, as if to keep him from breaking even more.

“I’m here. I’m right here,” he whispered.

“I feel so empty. I feel so useless,” Hyunjin cried.

It was then that Seungmin realized how much Quidditch meant to Hyunjin. 

And just how much Hyunjin meant to him. 

“That’s not true. You are so much more than Quidditch. So much more than any of that.”

He wished to tell him that he meant the world. To everyone. To his friends. To the team. To him. They had all been worried sick waiting for him.

Hyunjin used his free arm to hug Seungmin closer. He needed something to hold onto. He had been denying himself of that for so long. He had been so intent on pushing people away while he was trapped here. He didn’t want them to see him so miserable and downtrodden. The only image of Hwang Hyunjin that they could have was that of the prince. The golden boy. Not this. Not this damaged mess. 

And so he shut his door to anyone who came. He barely spoke. He barely ate. He didn’t smile at all. He believed that if he could shut his eyes long enough, he’d open them and everything would be okay again.

But he was wrong. Things weren’t going to be okay that fast. Magic can only do so much. Time was an inevitable factor. He needed time to heal. He needed to rest. He needed someone. 

He desperately needed someone to hold and he desperately needed someone to hold him.

Hyunjin continued to sob in Seungmin’s arms. He shook as he did. Seungmin just held him closer. As close as he possibly could. He had to be the stronger one now. He wanted to take his pain away. He’d take it for himself if he could. He despised how he couldn’t do either. Not completely. The next best thing was to hold him like this and to have him hold onto something too. 

And so they held each other like that for a long time. True to his words, Seungmin never left Hyunjin’s side the whole night.


	23. Hello Stranger

“Wake up.”

Seungmin had fallen asleep leaning at the side of Hyunjin’s bed. Hyunjin wanted to let him rest a bit more but the sun was up and he didn’t want him to get in trouble. The healers would be checking in the infirmary soon.

At the sound of Hyunjin’s voice, Seungmin woke from his slumber. He sleepily opened his eyes and didn’t move right away.

“The healers usually come back at 6 AM. You should go back to your room before that,” Hyunjin said, squeezing Seungmin’s hand. Their fingers were still intertwined like they were the night before.

Hyunjin chuckled as Seungmin got his bearings together. He was a bit slow to realize where he had been and what he had been doing there. Hyunjin suddenly felt a slight tinge of worry. 

Was he going to want to forget this again?

To his relief, Seungmin smiled. He didn’t let go of his hand.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked.

“Much better,” Hyunjin replied. All thanks to you, he thought.

“That’s good to hear,” Seungmin answered, yawning right after. Neither of them got much sleep last night. They spent a lot of time talking, although it was mostly Hyunjin who did the talking. Seungmin listened and provided some much-needed comfort.

As Seungmin stood up to go, Hyunjin wanted to ask him if he was going to be here again later, but he restrained himself. Seungmin had done so much for him already. He couldn’t possibly ask for more. That would be too much.

But he didn’t need to.

“I’ll come as soon as classes are over. Wait for me,” Seungmin said, gently unclasping his hand from Hyunjin’s. Hyunjin felt that there was an unwillingness to let go in his touch. He wished that he wasn’t just imagining things.

Hyunjin was elated. He smiled. He was starting to feel a little like himself again.

Seungmin smiled once more before closing the door behind him.

Hyunjin was again left alone in the room with just him and his feelings. But that wasn’t such a bad thing anymore.

In the past couple of weeks, his feelings were nothing but a phantom. Something lurking in the dark that he was afraid to look at. And so he slept all day and just pretended like it wasn’t there. 

That changed last night. Seungmin walked in and fought that phantom away just by being there. It couldn’t completely heal Hyunjin’s injuries but he did feel healed inside. He felt stronger compared to before. It felt like there was suddenly light in a dark and desolate room. He had likened Seungmin to sunshine before and he felt that it really did suit him. He was sunshine. He was his sunshine. 

He knew that his feelings for Seungmin were strong. It was definitely more than just a little crush. He didn’t know that they could get even stronger. 

But they were. 

Seungmin had the uncanny ability to touch his heart and make his heart skip a beat, but the most special one was his ability to heal it. For many nights now, Hyunjin felt that his heart would never go unbroken. He wanted to forget that it was even there, beating inside his chest. Each time it did, he was just made more aware of how empty he felt. 

Seungmin filled in the cracks and it felt a bit more whole again. 

All he had been seeing was self-hate, he missed the heart’s most important role. 

Love.

To love another and to love himself too. 

Seungmin reminded him. He finally remembered and he wasn’t going to let himself forget.

How could when he was he was falling deeply and desperately in love?

\--------

Seungmin barely got a wink of sleep last night but he felt more awake than he had ever been. 

For the first time ever, Seungmin couldn’t wait to get through his subjects. He wanted to fast forward to the final bell. He wanted a time-turner so he wouldn’t have to wait any longer. He wanted to see Hyunjin already.

“You look happy today.”

Jisung’s voice snapped Seungmin from what seemed like a dream. It was already lunchtime. Time appeared to be on Seungmin’s side because the morning felt like a breeze. 

“Hmm, I guess I am.” 

Jisung raised an eyebrow. His best friend had been forlorn these days. He wasn’t alone too. Minho was in the same place. Hyunjin hadn’t spoken to him yet.

“Did something happen?”

Seungmin contemplated before answering. He wasn’t sure if Hyunjin would want them to know already. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his best friend. It was just that he knew Jisung would also be conflicted about sharing the information with Minho. He’ll just let Hyunjin decide who to tell. 

Besides, he kinda liked the idea of having Hyunjin to himself for now.

“Just woke up on the right side of the bed this morning.”

Well, that was only half a lie. He was on the left side of Hyunjin’s bed this morning.

“Okay then.”

Those were the words that came out of Jisung’s mouth, but he saw right through Seungmin. He woke up in the wee hours of the night and saw that his bed was empty. Whatever took him out of bed last night also took him out of his sad state, so he just let it be. He seemed so much happier last week too. He just wanted to see that Seungmin again. There was no point in pushing. He’ll share it when he wants to.

“The finals are coming up, right?” Changbin asked from the other side of the table.

“Yup.” 

After the catastrophe of last weekend, the house of Stars had a rematch with the house of Night to settle the score. Both teams fought hard and well, but without their key player, the Night’s Quidditch team was missing a leg. Their stand-in for Seeker had to work a bit more to rise up to the ranks of Hyunjin. Their loss effectively put the Stars and the Wind for the championships. Seungmin guessed that that was probably something he should keep mum about to Hyunjin for now. It was likely that he had assumed it on his own.

“I can’t believe I actually miss that fool’s face. At least he put up a challenge.”

That came from Jisung of all people.

“He’ll be back in the field soon enough,” Seungmin said, drawing in some positivity into the conversation.

Nobody wanted to mention the fact that they probably had to wait until the next season to see that happen. 

“He should brace himself. I’ll be captain by then,” Jisung said, saving the mood that had turned somber. 

Seungmin and Changbin couldn’t tease him for that. It was as good as confirmed already whether or not they made it to the finals.

“He will,” Seungmin said with a smile. He had confidence in both Jisung and Hyunjin.

“I’m sure, “ Changbin affirmed, grinning too. He’d be a graduate by then but he knew that these juniors of his were going to make their houses proud.

Jisung found himself smiling too. There were many things to look forward to in the future.

But for now, the finals. 

They were going to win. He was sure of it. 

\---------

Hyunjin was busy reading the class notes from Seungmin when the author himself walked into the room. He had been so caught up in catching up and studying, he barely noticed that a whole day had passed.

“How is it?” Seungmin asked, pertaining to the notes in Hyunjin’s hand.

The notes were well-written and easy to understand. Hyunjin felt like he sat through the class himself with how Seungmin carefully annotated and explained the lessons. Seungmin’s handwriting was a wonder of its own. It was nearly as pretty as its owner. He couldn’t wait for Seungmin to play teacher again and teach it to him himself. 

“I’ll be able to catch up easily because of this. Thank you,” Hyunjin replied. He would hug Seungmin right now if he could.

“It’s nothing. Here are the ones from today,” Seungmin said, dropping another compilation of readings in the pile. Hyunjin was starting to wish he got on to studying a week ago. 

Seungmin must’ve sensed the worry in Hyunjin’s expression. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you,” he said, sitting beside him as he did the night before. He dropped his school bag on the floor.

Hyunjin felt the effect of Seungmin’s words right away. He felt lighter immediately.

“Thank you. Really. I don’t know how to make up for all of this,” Hyunjin said, full of gratitude. 

Seungmin smiled, “There’s no need. I wanted to.”

“Just let me know. I’ll give anything,” Hyunjin said, insisting. There wasn’t much he could do in his current state, but later, he promised he would do anything for Seungmin. Name it and he’d give it.

“Just get better fast. That’s it,” Seungmin replied, without further contemplation.

Hyunjin was about to protest but Seungmin laid a hand on his shoulder to stop him. He spoke no more. 

After that, they went over the class notes. Fortunately, Hyunjin had taken all of his tests before the game. There was no need for any special arrangements on that end. The lessons now were a clean slate after midterms. Although there was a lot of new material, that made it easier to keep pace with the rest of the class. It was new for all of them. Seungmin patiently answered all of Hyunjin’s questions. He paid him full attention. It was an excuse to stare at his lovely face. Seungmin’s intelligence and attentiveness were just some of the things that made him all the more attractive in Hyunjin’s eyes. 

“Did you get it?” 

Hyunjin was probably staring too long. He had his eyes locked on him, he nearly forgot about the piece of paper he was holding. 

He snapped himself back to attention.

“Can you explain it again?” 

Seungmin repeated what he was saying just a moment ago. Something about an Englishman named Harry Potter and the battle of Hogwarts. All the while, Hyunjin was fighting his own battle. He fought to split his focus between studying the class material and studying his cute teacher. 

Either way, he won on both ends.

That was how their tutoring session went. Before they knew it, one of the healers knocked for dinner. 

“Here’s your dinner, Hyunjin. I brought some for you too, Seungmin. Stay as long as you like.”

Visiting hours ended a couple of hours ago, but the healers were a bit more lax on Seungmin. Firstly, he was a Prefect. That simply had its perks. Secondly, they had grown fond of him with how often they saw him in the past few days. Thirdly, they liked how much brighter Hyunjin had gotten today. If Seungmin was the cure to how lonesome he was, so be it. They were healers after all. They wouldn’t hinder that. 

Hyunjin and Seungmin thanked the healer as she handed her their meals. She left the same way she came in shortly after.

They opened the tupperware, revealing a sliced roll of kimbap. It looked scrumptious. Seungmin could barely wait to dig in. He hadn’t eaten anything since lunch. Admittedly, he was hungry. 

Before that, he glanced at Hyunjin. 

Hyunjin was having a bit of trouble controlling the chopsticks with his left hand. He was right handed and right now, he couldn’t use it. It was the same hand that he used to grapple with the golden snitch. 

Hyunjin was too ashamed to ask Seungmin for help. How embarrassing was it that he couldn’t even feed himself?

To add salt to the wound, the chopsticks slipped from his clumsy fingers. It fell on the floor with a soft thud. It frustrated him how he couldn’t even reach down to pick them up. 

Before Hyunjin could express his frustration with a grumble, Seungmin reached for Hyunjin’s box and held a piece of the kimbap with his own chopsticks. He stretched out his hand towards Hyunjin’s mouth, inviting him to eat. 

Hyunjin felt too flustered to say anything. Instead, he just silently accepted the kimbap and ate. It would be more taxing to ask Seungmin to get up and ask the healers for an extra pair of chopsticks. He’d only watch himself fail at it again. There was nothing they could do about it anyway.

All throughout the afternoon and the evening, neither of them spoke of the accident, the injuries, or Quidditch. Hyunin didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t even want to remember. Seungmin never asked either. It was all in the past and neither of them could change it. All they needed to focus on was his healing in the present and the many things to be excited about in the future. 

Seungmin fed Hyunjin and himself in alternating bites. It was actually sweet that way. Pretty soon, Hyunjin no longer felt shy about it. He started to welcome each mouthful.

As they enjoyed dinner like this, Seungmin discovered a new but familiar feeling in his heart. 

It surprised him how the feeling came to him like a gust of wind. Subtle, but enduring. Once he was aware that it was there, he could no longer ignore it. 

Seungmin likened the feeling to a stranger. This stranger was one that you constantly saw in hallways and classrooms, but never had the opportunity to meet. You knew each other’s faces with how often you were in the same room, but simply didn’t know each other’s names. So you never spoke. Never glanced at each other for more than a second. Never acknowledged each other’s presence. 

Until now. 

The feeling was like finally finding out what that stranger’s name was.

He was finally staring at that stranger in the face and calling it it’s name for the first time.

So this is what love is, Seungmin realized.

And this is who love is, he thought, as he looked into Hyunjin’s eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a while. I’ve been busy! I hope you liked this update because I did haha! The next one might take a bit again since I've been caught up in quite a lot :<
> 
> It’s also probably a good time to tell all of you that there are only a few chapters left in this fic! Thank you for the love! I always always always appreciate the good things that you have to say <3


	24. The Head Boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday, Christopher!!!
> 
> Hello hello everyone. I know, it's been a while, I'm sorry. I'm actually a working law student and school just started again so it's been quite hard to find time. I really do want to give this story a proper close, and I will still try my best. It might just take some time! Again, thank you for the love and the patience!

Good morning.

There were many things to be happy about today, Chris thought. It was a very good morning indeed.

He walked with a big smile on his face as he made his way to the usual Monday classroom. More often than not, he was the first one to arrive at the weekly meeting for the Head Boys and Prefects. None of them said it explicitly, but the role of leader just happened to be thrusted upon him by his fellow Head Boys. He didn’t mind it. He’d always been the alpha-type, even before Yellow Wood. He’d long accepted it by now, so he grew into the role and just strived to be his best.

Chris was expecting for the classroom to be empty, as it usually was when he got there. But today, someone was already in the room ahead of him. 

“Wow. You have everything set up already.” 

Seungmin turned at the sound of Chris’ voice by the door. Chris caught him as he was laying out the food on the desks. They had all kinds of food this morning---Sashimi. Chicken. Pizza. Pork. Ramyun. They were all Hyunjin’s favorites. 

Chris was pleasantly surprised when Seungmin, this seemingly shy and soft-spoken junior of his, came up to him last weekend for a grand idea. 

A surprise party. For Hyunjin. 

After 2 weeks of being MIA, Hyunjin was finally discharged from the infirmary. 

Everyone had been worried about him, more so when he refused to see any visitors. It was good that he could finally join them again. 

Chris wondered if Seungmin played a part in that. He was almost sure that he did. Chris had been wondering if there was something going on between these two Prefects for a while now. He wasn’t sure then, but he was sure now. He noticed it first during the party. They seemed to be quite close despite being from different houses. He noticed it more because of Hyunjin. Whenever they had meetings, Chris was almost always in front or at the farthest seat at the back so he could see everyone well. Hyunjin had this habit of stealing glances at Seungmin during their meetings. He observed that his gaze held something special. There was no telling if Seungmin reciprocated it; he was the type to remain focused in the discussion. From what Chris saw, it was one-sided. He seemed to have been very wrong about that. 

“Do you need help with anything else?”

He asked, but it was a mere formality. Seungmin had everything prepared perfectly already. The food. The drinks. The tables. The chairs. The gifts. There was nothing left for Chris to do. 

Affirming this, Seungmin shook his head.

“Why didn’t you call us? We could’ve helped.” 

Seungmin smiled, “It’s no big deal. I like waking up early.”

Chris could see that it was a bluff. Seungmin seemed weary around the eyes. He either didn’t get much sleep or didn’t sleep at all. 

Despite this, it didn’t wear down the bright smile on his face. 

There were indeed many happy things this morning and the person in front of Chris seemed to be the happiest of all.

\-------

“Hold on to me.” 

Minho draped Hyunjin’s arm over his shoulders. Jeongin stood on the other side of Hyunjin, supporting him with a gentle palm on his back. 

Today was the first day of Hyunjin back in the classroom. After a long two weeks, he could finally be out and about.

Hyunjin clung onto Minho. He could walk already, although with a slight limp. His hand was still in a cast, but it was in a much better state than it was a week ago. His injuries were healing well. _He_ was healing well.

“You didn’t talk to me for weeks and I’m still so nice to you,” Minho jeered. 

“Sorry sorry,” Hyunjin replied with an apologetic smile. 

Minho didn’t really take any offense in that. He was just glad that Hyunjin was back on his feet. Sort of. He just needed a bit of support for now. 

That wasn’t going to be a problem. He would never run out of that. He had Minho. He had Jeongin. And he had Seungmin now too. 

Hyunjin didn’t contact anyone from his house at all while he was confined. Minho felt more worry than spite because of that. He was relieved that his friend finally found the strength to step out into the light again. Everyone knew who to thank for that. 

“Walk faster,” Minho teased. They were now in the long hallway leading to the room. 

“I’m trying.”

Minho laughed. 

He’d carry Hyunjin to the classroom if he could. They were both in a hurry. Their hearts were in a hurry. They had people in there they wanted to see badly. 

You could see someone every single day and still miss them. Minho knew that now. It seems Hyunjin did too. He was walking with the briskness that he could muster. 

And isn’t that a nice thing to have? Something that urges you on. Something that compels you to walk and face forward even when each step is a struggle.

Minho had to admit that he never really thought about those things before. He just went about life day by day, going with its ebbs and flows. Tomorrow was tomorrow, but today is today and that’s all he cared about. 

Now, things are a little different. He came across something to be excited and to be nervous about. Something to look forward to. Hyunjin too. Whether what they found was for keeps was not a matter they had to confront yet. Right now, it was good. It was great. It was more than enough to keep them going. 

\-------

“We’re here.”

At the sound of Minho’s voice, Changbin turned. But instead of turning towards the door, Changbin turned towards Seungmin. He wanted to see the boy’s reaction. 

What he saw was pure and unadulterated sunshine. Brighter than the sun shining outside the window. That’s what it was. 

He liked this look on Seungmin. Seungmin was different. He was brighter. The boy who hid himself in the stars of the night finally found some solace in sunlight. He liked that someone could finally bring that out of him. 

He and Seungmin had been friends for a long time now. Changbin held many concerns for him before. That was one of the reasons why he kept him as close as he did; sometimes, even closer than Jisung. Seungmin was smart. He was so far-reaching with his mind, but his heart had always been an enclosure. It was as if he trapped himself in it. 

Now, that wasn’t so true anymore. Not with Hyunjin here.

“Welcome back!” Felix shouted with glee.

“Welcome!” Chris chimed.

Changbin could see the utter surprise on Hyunjin’s face. He was speechless, unable to form any words. He froze by the door, but Minho and Jeongin gently brought him to the center of the classroom. 

Changbin was amused because he had never seen the golden boy so shy. Hyunjin never presented himself that way. He was always surrounded by people, after all.

“I don’t know what to say,” Hyunjin said, stuttering. 

“Eat,” Seungmin replied, handing him a plate of samplers. 

Hyunjin gingerly took it. His cheeks grew even more red. Changbin chuckled at the sight. He’d never seen Seungmin like that either. 

“We just have one thing on our agenda today then we can go right back to eating,” Chris announced. “Changbin, tell us more about it.” 

Changbin smiled, “We’ll be having the next team-building soon and the Star boys are in charge. We’ve decided to have a little gift-giving party to close off the semester.”

The group exchanged oohs and aahs. Everyone was excited at the thought of gift-shopping and gift-giving. 

“We’ll prepare the wish lists next week so for now you can just think about what you want to receive. We’ll draw lots next Monday,” Jisung added.

Changbin glanced at Seungmin and then at Hyunjin. It looked like there was no need for wish lists. Those two got exactly what they needed already. 

Changbin gave Chris a nod, confirming that that was the end of the announcement.

“Let’s eat! Welcome back, Hyunjin!” 

The boys crowded over the food and went over quickly to crowd over Hyunjin. They caught him up on what transpired in the last two weeks. Most of the information they said, Hyunjin knew from Seungmin already. He didn’t mind hearing all of it a second time; he was just happy listening to and laughing with everyone else again. They raised their non-alcoholic drinks for toasts and shared smiles in between bites. It was a heavy and hearty breakfast.

“Thank you so much everyone. Really. My heart is full. My stomach too,” Hyunjin said, looking at each of the boys with warmth in his eyes. 

“It’s all thanks to Seungmin for putting all of this together. This was his idea,” Changbin said. The other boys smiled, nodding at Hyunjin. Minho flashed him a cheeky smile. 

“Really?” 

Changbin chuckled. There it was again, that awestruck look that Hyunjin had when he first walked in. Now, who was the real star today? 

Seungmin shook his head, ever so humble as always, “We all worked hard on this.”

The rest of the boys knew better. Hyunjin knew better. Seungmin hardcarried this whole plan. 

“We’re all just glad to have you back. Of course that's worthy of a celebration.”

Seungmin could deny his piece all he wanted, but there was no denying that. They were really really glad to have Hyunjin back. It was a crime not to celebrate. The food was delicious. The drinks were divine. But more than that, it was a celebration of healing, of friendship, and of love.


	25. Restraint

Just like that, another week passed in Yellow Wood. The festivities of Monday did not end with the breakfast party with the Head Boys and Prefects. Hyunjin was also warmly welcomed by his classmates and teammates. The prince was back to grace the halls with his presence. 

Under ordinary circumstances, Hyunjin would revel in the attention. A smile there, a chat here, a compliment there, easily making it known that he was here; that he was back. But in the months and weeks that have come to pass, he discovered the peace of hanging back, instead of hanging out. 

Hyunjin smiled at the thought. Seungmin was rubbing off on him too much. He and Seungmin had been nearly inseparable the past week. The other boy helped him get to classes by offering his shoulder for support. He also helped him get through classes with his tutoring. Hyunjin wouldn’t have had it any other way. He was enjoying it a lot. His was the only attention he craved right now. 

Despite this, he did wonder how Seungmin was taking all of this. He had always been quite busy with his own studies. Allotting so much time for Hyunjin now, Hyunjin wondered if he still had time for the things he actually wanted and needed to do. Seungmin never revealed any complaint nor concern, and Hyunjin couldn’t complain at all. How could he? He loved it. Now though, he was the one who was concerned.

Hyunjin pondered on these thoughts as he laid in bed. 

Today was a Saturday. Hyunjin was left alone in the room, his roommates already out and about with their weekend plans. It was already 11 AM after all. 

He was willing himself to rise up and get ready, but he was at a loss for what to do. It was a lovely day outside; the sun was bright and the air was cool. He had already wasted half the day, unproductive. 

Minho and Jeongin were both in the neighboring island, most probably looking for a nice place to have lunch now. He wondered what Seungmin was up to. For sure, he had accomplished many things in the morning already. Meanwhile, Hyunjin was struggling to even open his eyes. 

He did want to do something. He had the will for it too. But he couldn’t bring himself to do what his thoughts had been screaming ever since he woke up. 

Text him.

Hyunjin had been wanting to reach for his phone the moment he awoke from slumber. But he restrained himself. He had been bothering Seungmin too much. Far too much. He must want some time for himself. He might want this Saturday to rest without any interference from anyone. Hyunjin didn’t want to feel like a burden. It was dangerous how much time they had been spending together. Hyunjin was getting too used to it. 

Still, that didn’t satiate the desire in his heart. He sorely wanted to hear from Seungmin.

Hyunjin hugged his pillow to his chest, as if forcing his feelings to hold themselves back. 

Just then, his phone buzzed. Hyunjin reached for it.

_Are you awake already?_

It was from Seungmin. 

_Hello! Yes I am!_

He said that a little too excitedly. He wasn’t expecting this. 

_Have you had lunch?_

Hyunjin replied swiftly.

_Not yet. Still in bed._

Hyunjin wasn’t sure whether that was a general question or an actual invite. He opted to answer generally. He wished to give him some space after all. 

A few seconds passed. 

_Do you want to get lunch together?_

Another message quickly followed.

_If you’re still sleepy, then it’s fine. Maybe next time._

Hyunjin typed his reply quickly, the phone almost fell on his face.

_No! I’ll be there!_

_I’ll get ready quickly_

_I’ll meet you downstairs_

_Give me 15 minutes_

_See you!_

He sent those 5 messages successively less than a second apart. Even a robot would sense his enthusiasm. He wasn’t keen on holding back on his words these days. If he liked it, he would say that he liked it. If it made him happy, he would proclaim that it made him happy. If it excited him, he would show exactly that. Seungmin knew his feelings well anyway. It was part and parcel of the honesty that they had promised each other.

_Alright, I’ll see you in a bit_

\-------------

True to his words, Hyunjin came prancing down from the Night commons to the lobby of the main hall within 15 minutes. Blessed with that face, it didn’t require much to get ready.

Seungmin was already there.

“Hi.”

The boy with brown hair turned, revealing a gentle smile. He brought a camera to his face and clicked, much to Hyunjin’s surprise.

“What was that for?” Hyunjin asked, flustered but flattered. He hurried to Seungmin’s side. 

“No particular reason. I just wanted to,” Seungmin answered, putting the camera inside the small brown satchel that he was carrying.

“You brought your camera with you?” Hyunjin asked, looking at the satchel.

Seungmin nodded, “Yes, I was planning on taking some pictures of the grounds today. I haven’t had the chance to do that in a while.”

Hyunjin remembered Seungmin telling him that he liked photography. He was glad that he was making time for his other hobbies now; those outside of reading and studying.

“Do you want to join me?” 

Seungmin presented the question with a slight bashfulness.

Hyunjin smiled, then gave an affirmative nod. “I would love to.”

He was pleased. Whatever Seungmin proposed right now, he’d do it in a heartbeat. He didn’t know much about photography, but he would love to learn more about it, if it meant learning more about the elusive yet endearing guy in front of him.

So much for restraining one’s self. 

“We may have to walk around a lot. Are you sure that will be okay?” Seungmin asked, concerned.

“The healers advised me to start doing some light exercise so this is perfect. I’d been idle far too long,” Hyunjin replied, reassuring him.

His injuries no longer required a physical cast, but they remained wrapped in healing magic. There was still some discomfort in his arm and he still had a slight limp in his leg, but it was manageable. He was required to visit the infirmary every other day so that the healers could monitor how the bones were mending.

The two then proceeded towards the dining hall. As they traipsed along the long hallway, Hyunjin asked Seungmin about his morning. Just as he had guessed, Seungmin woke up early to do some reading. He finished at 11, which was around the time he messaged him. 

Books over boys. Seungmin’s priorities had always been clear; Hyunjin admired that about him. 

As they entered the dining hall, Hyunjin and Seungmin hesitated right at the threshold. They both sensed each other’s reluctance. Where were they to sit? 

At this point in their friendship (or more), the two still found it rare to invite each other to their house’s tables. There was no bar to it; the houses freely mingled with each other. Minho had been doing it more and more in the past few weeks, joining Jisung, Changbin, and Seungmin at the blue tables, albeit with some surprised faces from the other Star students. It was quite uncommon as it had always been the culture in Yellow Wood to place yourself according to what pendant you were wearing. They compartmentalized themselves this way from the dawn of time. No one really questioned it. Until now, at least. This mindset was precisely what this year’s Head Boys’ were attempting to break during their term this year. They were in one school after all. 

“Do you mind if we sit on my side today?” Seungmin asked.

Hyunjin didn’t hesitate. He immediately gestured for them to go to the blue side of the hall. He liked that Seungmin was taking the lead today.

They sat at the far end of the table, opting for a space only to themselves. They sat opposite to each other. In a snap, the plates and bowls in front of them filled themselves with the menu for the day: kimchi stew, the usual side dishes, and some chapchae. 

“You like this, right?” Hyunjin asked, gesturing at the kimchi stew. He chuckled. Seungmin was already having a mouthful. It was cute.

Seungmin nodded enthusiastically. 

“I love it,” he replied, once he was finished chewing. He said it with so much feeling, no one could contemplate otherwise.

“Among other things,” Seungmin _thought_ as he set his gaze on Hyunjin. He brought another spoonful to his mouth, swallowing down both the food and the words. 

On the other side of the table, Hyunjin never thought that he would want to be kimchi stew until this very moment. He pretended that the feeling inside his stomach was yearning for food and not a different sort of yearning. He followed suit and started eating. If only.

And so they enjoyed their lunch this way, speaking about the things that they loved. Most things, but not everything. Everything else, they held in restraint for now. So many words were said, yet so many remained unspoken. There were no silences between them, yet the silence held so much more than they were letting the other hear. Many secrets hid in the silence, and they were careful not to let them slip. They could talk about feelings and flutters of the heart, but this was a different thing.

Love was a different thing. 

As hard as they tried to deny it, there was an inevitable fear of rejection. They could see what the other seemed to feel, but they could not completely tell what the heart truly held. They liked each other, that much was obvious. But to what extent? Whether they were at the same place was still up for question. Whether _like_ had turned into _love_ for the other person too, they did not yet know. There were certain things you couldn't rush and this was one of them.

Love was something that neither had ever felt for another. Until now. This was all very new to them. They knew that there was longing. And desire. And fondness. And warmth. But they were quickly finding out that there was also hesitation. And reluctance. And restraint. They were both learning that this is what it meant to love someone. They were both learning that this is what it meant to wait.


	26. Resistance

After lunch, Seungmin and Hyunjin decided that their first stop of the afternoon would be the greenhouse. It was an obvious choice. The greenhouse was one of the most beautiful spots in Yellow Wood. The island itself was a feat for the eyes already, but the greenhouse was a special kind of enchanted. 

Upon finishing their dessert, they got up and got ready to go.

As they walked towards the fields, Seungmin was silent. At least that’s how he looked to Hyunjin. It was nothing out of the ordinary. Seungmin had always been stingy with his words. It was only in choice moments, moments which Hyunjin cherished, that Seungmin was extremely talkative. So he just let him be. They walked like that with this comforting quiet. 

Unbeknownst to him, the comforting quiet was not as comforting as he thought. At least not for Seungmin.

As they walked side by side, Seungmin felt extremely and undeniably restless. He had so many thoughts running through his mind. He had been restless since he woke up this morning. As he roused to the golden light of the sun shining through his window, the first thought that came to him was something golden too.

The golden boy. 

This mystified him. He saw Hyunjin every single day in the past week. There was always an excuse to see him after all. Aside from the Monday meetings, they were classmates in most of their subjects. They had no reason not to see each other. 

But today, today was the first day that Seungmin was starkly aware of this feeling in his chest. A kind of wanting. 

It had been a whirlwind week since he came to terms with his own feelings. And with each passing day, he became even more aware of their existence. He thought it would confuse him, but there was only clarity. He was expecting to be puzzled, but he felt even more at peace. He had feelings for Hyunjin. Strong feelings. Feelings that grew even stronger as time passed. 

Because they saw each other so often, he could barely distinguish the feeling from just being happy. He just knew that he was happier these days. And it turned out that he was happiest with Hyunjin. 

But now that they both had a free day and that they didn’t have anything in their schedule to make them cross paths, Seungmin was struggling. Was this what Hyunjin felt before? Seungmin couldn't comprehend what it was. He just knew that it was a want. 

He wanted to see Hyunjin. Was that so hard to say?

For Seungmin, it definitely was. He had never wanted anything so complex. His wants were simple: a new book, a cup of coffee, a good song. These were so simple for him. If he wanted them, he could get them right away. 

But now, what he wanted wasn’t so simple. 

Was he thinking too much again? He thought. He caught himself. There he was again, thinking and thinking and thinking. He did this the whole morning, thinking and fighting with himself. Thinking and distracting himself by studying. Thinking and opening a new book. Thinking, until finally he told himself to stop. What he wanted was simple.

Stop overthinking. 

So he stopped and picked up his phone. He sent the text message that he had been itching to send since he woke up.

Are you awake already?

As he hit himself, he closed his eyes and threw the phone on the bed, as if to throw it to the hands of fate.

His phone buzzed.

He fought with himself for 3 hours and got a response in less than 3 seconds. 

And so that was that. That was how his morning went. 

And now they were here. 

Seungmin was once again struggling with this wanting in his chest. He tried to ignore it, focusing instead on each step. But the more he ignored it, the louder the thoughts became.

He wanted to hold Hyunjin’s hand. He wanted to walk closer to him. 

It was so hard to translate those words into action because Seungmin had never wanted any of that before. But now he did. Badly. He just didn’t know how to go about them. 

He kept his hands firm on the brown satchel.

As the two made their way to the greenhouse, they passed by the Quidditch field. It was Jisung’s team. The team was busy with training. Jisung’s voice was discernible from among the other voices. Throw it harder! Fly faster! Do better! They could hear all of these enthusiastic and excitable shouts. The noise was a welcome distraction for Seungmin’s thoughts. 

“They’re in good shape,” Hyunjin remarked, glancing at the boys on their broomsticks.

Seungmin looked at him with a careful gaze. He wasn’t sure what to ask. Everyone walked on eggshells around Hyunjin when the topic was Quidditch. Neither Jisung nor Felix, who were both playing in the game next Saturday, mentioned a thing about it. 

“Do you want to watch the game?” Seungmin asked with a bit of reluctance. He wasn’t reluctant to watch with him; that was actually a nice thought. In fact, he wanted to watch with him. What held him back was how Hyunjin would receive the question. Was it awkward to ask that? He could very well have been the one they would be watching.

Hyunjin chuckled, “Is that a question or an invite?” 

Seungmin was relieved that he took it lightly. 

“Do you want to watch the game with me?” Seungmin asked again, with a bit more conviction and confidence this time.

“I would like that,” Hyunjin replied, flashing him a sincere smile. 

Seungmin smiled back, “It’s a date.”

\--------

The pair walked for 15 minutes more before they finally caught sight of the greenhouse. When they did, they were both in awe. 

They saw the greenhouse often during their Herbology classes in their first 5 years in Yellow Wood. You would think they would be so used to it by now, but that was not the case. Each time they saw the greenhouse, it took their breath away. Each time was like the first time.

The greenhouse wasn’t a simple one-level structure as most greenhouses were. It was a multi-tiered glass garden, boasting five levels of magical plants, all bursting with lush and life. Summer, autumn, and winter did not exist in the greenhouse; it was an eternal spring. There was only ever sunshine within its walls. It was no wonder why this place was often called Haven.  
“Where do you want to go first?” Hyunjin asked. Seungmin was already eagerly holding his camera. 

Seungmin’s favorite spot in the whole greenhouse had always been its top floor. It was where the rare magical flora were housed. Being there felt like being in a dream. They made their way to the glass elevator at the center of the greenhouse. As they settled themselves inside, the two faced each other and exchanged a smile. Neither knew exactly why. They just really felt like smiling. They were simply happy to be with each other. It was as simple as that.

They got to the 5th floor and Seungmin snapped photos right away. He particularly liked the section surrounded by flowers in hues of lilacs and lavenders; he found those colors comforting. 

He and Hyunjin went to different parts of the greenhouse. He noticed that Hyunjin made his way to where the sun flowers were. They seemed to gleam brighter with him there. Seungmin remembered that these flowers shined brighter when the person you cherished was around. Could they tell that Seungmin cherished Hyunjin a lot?

As Hyunjin stood in the distance, admiring the glow of the petals, Seungmin trained his camera towards him.

This happened again and again as they both explored the greenhouse. Seungmin couldn’t help but snap photos of Hyunjin when he wasn’t looking. How could he resist? He looked good from any angle. More than that, he himself couldn’t stop looking. His eyes automatically searched for him without even trying.

Seungmin stopped for a moment to review the photos. They had been there for a while now. He had taken quite a bit already. What baffled him after looking through the film was that there were more pictures of Hyunjin compared to the flowers. He went here to take pictures of the flowers, but his lens was more drawn towards the flower boy. 

“Can I tell you something?”

Seungmin looked up from his camera. He had observed that Hyunjin had been quiet since they got to the greenhouse. He was on the farther side of the greenhouse, more than an arm’s breadth from where Seungmin was.

Seungmin didn’t know that this was a deliberate choice by Hyunjin. He was intentionally keeping his space. It wasn’t for any bad reason. He just wanted to let Seungmin be, to let him enjoy what he loved to do. 

“Tell me,” Seungmin said, taking a few steps closer towards Hyunjin.

“Don’t judge me, okay?” Hyunjin said, slightly pink in the cheeks already. 

Seungmin chuckled. It was rare for Hyunjin to be embarrassed. “Why would I?”

Hyunjin groaned, “You know I’m not very good with words. I don’t even think I can face you while saying this.”

Hyunjin turned away from Seungmin to hide his face. He was going red. He focused on the pink roses that were in front of him; he himself was getting even more rosy.

“What is it?” Seungmin asked, curious. He placed his camera back inside his satchel.

It took a few more seconds before Hyunjin spoke again. He took a deep breath. 

“I just want to say how grateful I am for the past few weeks. I don’t know how I could have survived them without you.”

Another nervous breath. Why was this so hard to say?

“This isn’t even an exaggeration, but I lost all hope because of that fall. I was hopeless before you walked into the infirmary that night. I didn’t know how I could’ve found the courage to get back up. But I did, and a lot of that is because of you. I’m very thankful but I’m also very sorry. I know I take up so much of your time. I’m sorry that I’ve been such a burden. I’m really sorry.”

There was silence in the greenhouse. Hyunjin was expecting a response from Seungmin, but there was none. He couldn’t bear to face him yet. Did he say anything wrong?

In a few steps, Seungmin approached Hyunjin from behind and encircled him with his arms. He hugged him this way. He did it as quietly as a feather, Hyunjin did not anticipate it at all. 

It was how Seungmin loved; a quiet yet warm kind of love that surprised him in many ways.

Seungmin didn’t do things like this. He barely hugged Changbin or Jisung. He never sought human touch. But with Hyunjin, it was different. He craved it. And he had been resisting the desire all day to stand a little closer and to hold his hand, but at this point, there was no resistance at all. How could he resist the opportunity when there was no resistance from any cell in his body? He could only succumb.

“Don’t be sorry for anything. I did what I did because I wanted to. Because I wanted to be by your side.”

Hyunjin stood there frozen. He was stunned. He was astonished. He was delighted.

For the first time, Seungmin felt that his closely guarded heart could be a home. This home wasn’t audacious or daring. It wasn’t as flamboyant as the others were, but there was comfort and calm. What he could offer was space and simplicity. Most importantly, his own sincerity.

“Lean on me when it’s hard. Count on me when it’s easy. I’m yours either way.”

There was more than one way of declaring one’s love. If Hyunjin couldn’t figure out that that was what he meant, Seungmin knew nothing anymore.

But lucky for him, Hyunjin did. Hyunjin understood. And he stood there, racking his brain for all the words in his vocabulary because he wanted to say it too. Those words. I love you. But suddenly, just those three words felt inadequate.

So he let the silence speak for him. He held Seungmin’s hand in his and revelled in the feeling of his arms around him. He stayed that way for a moment. He could stay like this forever. 

And he would’ve, but the desire to be held was just as strong as the desire to be the one to hold. He wanted to hold Seungmin too. He turned around, and Seungmin let go for a brief second. 

But it was only for a second. Now facing each other, Hyunjin hugged Seungmin even closer. He let the tightness and warmth of his embrace speak for him. He let his heart speak for him from inside his chest, beating so close to Seungmin’s own heart. The words could remain unsaid, but their actions could not help but go unhindered. 

Hyunjin held on to Seungmin like there was nothing else in the world. The world could forget him and he could forget the world, but not this boy. This boy was his universe.

This feeling wasn’t just gratitude. It wasn’t just comfort nor concern nor company. It was beyond any of that.

The world knew what it was. They both knew what it was. 

With unwavering patience and with utmost care, love bloomed in the greenhouse that day. Without any kind of restraint nor resistance, love finally basked in the golden sunlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many times I tried to imagine how their confession would go, but it always felt inadequate to just say the words ‘I love you.’ And so I thought of Seungmin and Hyunjin’s love languages. I always imagined Seungmin’s to be either words of affirmation or acts of service. Hyunjin’s on the other hand, seem to be touch and quality time. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was a joy to write.


End file.
